Intangible Trust
by DP-shrine-in-closet-girl
Summary: AU "You may not be afraid of me, but I am." Danny has just moved to Amity Park a year after gaining his powers. He's had to deal with his secret alone all this time. Can he let Sam and Tucker into his life? What happens when they find out the truth?
1. A New Face

I just want to let you guys know that if you read my other story I am not abandoning it in any way! In fact, I almost have three chapters of the other story done and I'll get them too you as soon as they are beta-ed.

Anyway, this fic came to me about three days ago and I have been obsessing over it ever since. And since it had to come out somehow, I supposed I would write it for you. Let me know what you think so far, enjoy!

**Recommended to read full Summary!**

Full Summary: Instead of Amity Park, Danny lives in a small town in Massachusetts with his parents and sister. His parents are as obsessive as ever with ghost hunting. They build a ghost portal only to have it, surprise surprise, not work. Their fourteen year old son is just trying to survive his first year of high school, which is full of bullies, cruel teachers, and judgmental peers. So basically, a regular high school. Danny doesn't have many friends and the ones he does have, he isn't very close too. On top of all this Danny's curiosity gets the better of him and he enters the portal. Similar events happen, Skulker, Technus, Vlad, ice powers, even Dark Dan, but this time he doesn't have Sam and Tucker to help him. Having to deal with everything alone changes how Danny feels about his powers and himself. In this Danny is a little darker and even more self-conscious, but don't worry it's still the Danny we love, he's just buried a little deeper. Danny Phantom is hunted by the Fentons, except this time barley anyone in his home town thinks he is a good ghost. He is blamed for the ghost attacks, even though without him, his town would be overrun with malevolent spirits. A year later his family moves to Amity Park where they bought a bigger house with a basement twice as big as their last lab. Now Danny and Jazz start their very first day at Casper High…

**Chapter 1 A new face**

Tucker sat in the front row, not his choice mind you, but Mr. Lancer always assigned seats for his students. Not only does his position make it hard to talk with friends, but even worse, it makes it extremely difficult to text or play with his PDA at all! Now that was criminal.

A few friends whom he ate lunch with sat in the back row, so there was no hope of conversation. He had a lot in common with his friends; they all loved technology, not as much as him of course, and they were socially labeled the same; geeks. But whatever, they were proud of their geekiness, even if it did make it impossible to get cheerleaders.

Not all his friends were geeks, although most were. There was one girl who he had become close too, even though it was unexpected for a geek to hang out with a Goth. But then again, Sam had never been one to fit into the expectations of others.

The two of them rarely talked at school, even though they had a ton of classes together. And they both hung out with their own friends during lunch so it was a wonder they knew each other at all. However, they had gone to the same school since preschool so they had a lot of history together. But they didn't truly become good friends until last year when they randomly met up at the mall after both their friends had ditched them. After spending the day together they realized that even though they had nothing in common, and their way of thinking couldn't be more different on some issues, they actually enjoyed hanging out together. So whenever Sam's Goth friends were busy and she needed something to do or Tucker's friends were off studying or getting ready for a chess tournament, which he thought was extremely boring, the two of them would hang out.

Usually Tucker would be using his natural charm to score a date, but not with Sam. It wasn't that Sam wasn't pretty, because even though she tries to hide it, she is. But Tucker knew he was more likely to be punched in the face by her then to get a date. Besides, she wasn't really his type, how could he date a girl that didn't eat meat? Come on, that's inhuman!

Tucker sighed, his sophomore year had only just started a month ago and he was already bored of school. He was about to see if he could look up how many days of school he had left on his PDA without getting caught, when the door to the classroom opened. In walked a nervous boy about his age with black hair that hung in his bright blue eyes. He did not walk with confidence and his shoulders were slumped like he was trying not to be noticed. He handed a note to Mr. Lancer and licked his lips apprehensively.

Mr. Lancer read the note and nodded. "Class, we have a new student joining our classroom, this is Daniel Fenton."

There was a lot of whispering at the mention of his last name. Everybody knew the Fentons. Some blamed them for the increase in ghost attacks, although most people blamed Danny Phantom more. The Fentons were recognized for being one of the only ghost fighters, other than the Guys in White, to be able to handle the supernatural entities that pledged this world. The students of Mr. Lancers English class had to wonder, now that the Fentons were living in Amity Park, would the ghosts follow? Once or twice Amity Park had a ghost emergency, but it was nothing the local Guys in White couldn't handle.

"Now Mr. Fenton, why don't you take a seat…" but before the English teacher could assign a place for Danny the questions started.

"Have you ever seen a ghost?" One girl in the corner asked.

The new kid's eyes flicked nervously to her, "Umm… yeah once?" He answered uncertainly.

"What did it look like?" Another kid questioned.

"Big and it umm, glowed?"

Tucker felt sorry for him, he seemed like a shy kid who didn't like a lot of attention, and here he was, being interrogated on his first day of school.

"Have your parents ever caught a ghost?"

"Sure."

"I thought your parents were more like mad scientist or something."

He shrugged. "Some days I think they're insane."

Tucker blinked; did he just make a joke? Maybe he wasn't as shy as he led on. Or maybe he was telling the truth.

"Have you ever met Danny Phantom?"

"Ph-Phantom? N-no, of course not." He stuttered. And just like that he was back to being the jumpy new kid again.

"Catcher in the Rye! Quiet down people!" Mr. Lancer shouted over all the questions."You will have time to talk to Mr. Fenton after class." He looked down at the new kid, "now, please take your seat in the empty chair next to Mr. Foley." The kid did this, looking relieved to be out of the spotlight.

"Hey," Tucker greeted, "Tucker Foley," he introduced himself.

"Danny." The kid corrected Mr. Lancer's use of his full first name.

Tucker continued to talk to Danny in a low voice so Mr. Lancer wouldn't hear. "Well, welcome to Casper High, oh and I'm sorry."

Danny looked at him in confusion. "About what?"

"You're part of the unlucky class who stuck with Mr. Lancer as a teacher."

Danny attempted to suppress a grin, but failed miserably. "Well, at least he stopped the questions, I'm grateful to him for that."

"Oh yeah? Wait until you see our homework assignment and then tell me how grateful you feel." Danny's eyes sparkled in amusement. "You can't blame them though," Tucker continued, he was talking about the class this time, "everyone thinks that since the Fentons are here ghosts are going to start attacking this town. That won't happen though… right?"

Danny's grin slipped from his face as he grew serious, he seemed to be studying Tucker, but it was like he was looking _through_ him, instead of _at_ him. Danny's gaze was intense and Tucker felt a chill run down his spine. This person beside Tucker was no longer the shy innocent kid with a good sense of humor he had been talking to minutes ago; instead he looked troubled and even dangerous. Tucker couldn't explain it, but fear started balling up in his chest. He didn't know if it was fear of what Danny's response would be, or if it was because the kid's cold emotionless stare was freaking him out.

Unexpectedly, a warm smile came across Danny's face and his eyes softened into innocence again. "Nah, you'll be fine. And if they do, my parents will just capture them." His voice was light and untroubled. Tucker felt himself relax and let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Now Tucker's flash of fear for the kid seemed ridiculous and he pushed it to the back of his mind. He must have been imagining things; Danny had to be the quietest and most unassuming person in the classroom, there was nothing freaky or weird about him. Actually, he was pretty cool; perhaps he should invite the new kid to sit with his friends and him at lunch.

Fifteen minutes before the class was over Tucker looked over to find Danny had fallen asleep. He hadn't thought much of it before, but he noticed Danny did have dark circles under his eyes. Tucker felt sorry for him, bad things happened to people who fell asleep in Mr. Lancer's class.

"Mr. Foley." Tucker was startled by his English teacher's sharp voice. "Please wake up Mr. Fenton for me."

Tucker nodded and leaned over the side of his desk to shake Danny awake. When he did, Danny bolted upright so fast the desk rattled, incurring laughter from his peers. A bright blush crept onto his cheeks and around the back of his neck. Tucker tried not to be one of the people laughing, but he couldn't help but let out a snicker or two. It was a little funny.

"Mr. Fenton, I don't know what they allowed at your last school, but in my classroom I expect students to at least act like they are paying attention."

This only caused Danny to blush deeper. "Y-yes sir, it won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't." Mr. Lancer responded before turning back to the lesson.

Danny looked over at Tucker, grinning sheepishly, "that's going to happen again," he assured him ruefully, "do you think you can wake me up when it does?"

"Sure thing man, what wrong? You didn't get enough sleep?"

Danny nodded and yawned, "Let's just say a little pest kept me up all night."

"Rats in your house?"

"Yep, ghost rats."

Tucker stared at him, eyes wide, trying to figure out if Danny was joking or not. But the kid just smirked and turned his head towards the board. So _not fair!_

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Danny tried not to give anything away as he stared at the bored and pretended to pay attention. Who knew Tucker was this much fun to mess with? Despite what he had Tucker believe, it had not been ghost rats keeping him up all night. No, this was a different pest in the form of blue skin and overalls. Yes, the Boxghost was at it again. Every time the ghost got close to the new Fentonworks Danny's ghost sense would go off, waking him up. And for the life of him, Danny had a hard time finding the ghost this time. The ghost teen had given up and gone back to bed only to be woken up two other times and repeating the process. It wasn't until four in the morning did Danny actually catch the ghost. The box obsessed ghost had been going from warehouse to warehouse collecting boxes, saying something about how he had to 'start his collection over.' Apparently moving the Portal had made the ghosts more disoriented than Danny. Anyway, it was a wonder how he caught the ghost at all, usually it was easy, but that was because ghosts normally cause loud trouble that is easy to spot.

School had been okay so far, except for the two mistakes he had made already. One, he had fallen asleep in class. He did this all the time in his old school, and it was unavoidable due to his late night activities, but he had hoped that at least for the first day he could make a good impression. No such luck. At least Tucker seemed to like him, this was good. Danny needed to make friends, he wouldn't look normal if he didn't have any. And Danny desperately needed to look normal, mostly because in reality, he wasn't. This is where mistake number two came in. Even though it was for a short second Danny had dropped his normal happy-go-lucky façade. This is when he pretended to be shy and nervous like you would expect a normal teen to be on his first day of school. This mask he wore also demanded he have bad posture and to act like a weakling, this included pretending like he couldn't stand his own against bullies. Basically, he acted like himself before the accident.

He supposed his entire persona wasn't a fake; there were parts of it that were genuine. For example, he really is a shy, slightly jumpy, and a naturally happy person. But that didn't mean he couldn't adjust himself when the situation demanded it. If he needed to be serious he would, if hesitation and nerves would get in his way, then he needed to find the strength to quiet them.

Danny was usually really good at knowing which mask to use and how to keep them believable. It bothered him that he had slipped up with Tucker. When his classmate had asked him if Danny's family moving here would put the town at risk, Danny couldn't help but feel a stab of guilt. The ghosts would continue to come out of the portal, and even if Danny hunted ghost 24/7, people would still get hurt. This was inevitable. He thought about shutting down the portal, but he knew it wouldn't do any good. There were still many natural entrances ghost could come out of, and then without a portal Danny had no way of putting them back.

Danny had been swept up in a bout of anger, furious at himself for not being able to do more, when he had lost his mask. Tucker looked frightened of him in that second, and Danny wondered if he really was that terrifying, even in human form. A year ago Danny Fenton wouldn't have been able to scare anyone; but now, after all he had seen and done, even his human form didn't even feel human anymore.

Sometimes 'Phantom' got through, and when that happened he always comes close blowing his fake-innocence cover. Danny must have looked nothing like the innocent happy kid he had been projecting only moments before. Luckily, he must have caught himself on time because Tucker didn't seem too worried about it. And truth be told, Danny liked Tucker, perhaps they could be friends. That is, if Danny didn't make any more mistakes.

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It was lunch time and Tucker noticed Danny at the end of the line for food. People had been talking about the Fentons all day. Students were excited that this could mean their town would be visited by ghosts, but behind all the excitement, people were frightened. Everyone has heard stories about how dangerous and coldhearted ghosts could be.

Tucker had hear a particular horror story, and the horrible part was it actually happened, of a man who came home from work to two young children and a loving wife every night. However, one night the man did not come home alone. He was possessed by a ghost and the monstrous creature was out for blood. The ghost forced the man to murder his wife and children and after the creature was satisfied he left the man alive, but with nothing left to live for. The man had committed suicide only days after he told the police what had happened. The story made Tucker shiver every time he heard it, but it only proved that ghost were evil monsters bent on hurting people for pleasure. The ghost in the story supposedly had no grudge against that family, according to the father; it had just murdered the family out of pure boredom.

So it was no wonder people were afraid, but Tucker could at least take comfort in Danny's trust in his parent's skills. After all, if anyone had experience in this sort of thing it would be the Fentons.

"Hey Danny," Tucker greeted, coming up beside him in line.

"Hey Tucker, please tell me you're here to tell me what's eatable or not, because, believe it or not, I was never very good at Eeny Meeny Miny Moe."

"Oh I can believe it." Tucker assured him, at the same time wondering how someone could be 'good' at randomly picking items, he was sure that was contradicting the whole point.

Danny gave him and evil look which melted away into a grin.

They chatted about Danny's first day and every so often Tucker gave Danny "words of wisdom" from a "knowledgeable" source. To hear Tucker tell it, he knew everything there is to know about the school. Most of these "pieces of wisdom" were either really obvious or really random, but whichever they were, they were always entertaining.

After they had gotten their food, Tucker invited Danny to sit with him and his friends. So the two of them made their way to the back of the cafeteria were the nerd table was. Clumsy as ever, no matter how many ghost powers he had, absentminded Danny Fenton neglected to watch where he was going. He ran into something soft, it was smaller than him, but not by much, it also wore a lot of black. Danny's superhuman reflexes reacted before he could stop them and he managed to catch her tray full of food, which would have landed on her shirt, while still miraculously balancing his own.

By the furious look on her face Danny could tell she was about yell at him for not looking where he was going, when suddenly, she stopped herself. A curious look crossed her face as she watched him balance the two trays, which wasn't easy.

"Sorry," Danny grunted as he handed her food back to her. "Are you okay?"

She flat out ignored the question. "You're Danny Fenton." It didn't sound like a question so Danny didn't answer. "Do you hunt ghosts?" She asked with a cross look on her face.

Danny licked his lips nervously, "no, that's my parents job. I'm not really into the family business. Who are you again?"

An impatient growl left her lips, "Not important. Did you know that what your parents are doing is morally wrong?"

"Umm?" Danny wasn't sure how he was supposed to answer.

"Ghosts have rights, same as humans do! It's not fair to hunt them indiscriminately."

Tucker rolled his eyes, "come on Sam, not this again! You know ghosts are evil."

Sam, apparently that was her name, rounded on Tucker and Danny thought he was pretty brave for disagreeing with her. "Not _all_ ghosts are evil Tucker, they use to be human too, don't forget."

"Well, there not anymore. And do you think it's wrong to hunt them if they're attacking people?"

"No, but I think it's wrong to shoot them when they haven't done anything." She argued passionately. "The Fentons hunt them just because of what they are, you can't tell me that's fair."

"Maybe I would agree with you Sam, if there was proof that some ghosts can be good, but there's not!"

"Yes there is. Danny Phantom."

Danny froze and almost dropped his lunch tray.

Tucker groaned, "not this again. Sam, he's not the hero."

"Yes he is, haven't you seen him fighting other ghosts on the news?"

Danny couldn't believe it; he didn't think Danny Phantom supporters existed anymore.

"Just because he gets into fights with ghosts doesn't mean he trying to save people. Even he stopped disagreeing when people call him evil."

It was true, people weren't listening and so Danny stopped defending himself, it was easier to just do his job anyway.

"Well, I still think he's a good person. The property damage he caused doesn't erase the lives he's saved."

Danny found himself smiling at her words; it had been a long time since anyone had said anything good about his alter ego.

But his smile disappeared when she rounded on him again, anger flashing in her eyes. "And that is why your parents are doing the wrong thing by hunting him. They should be working _with_ Danny Phantom, not trying to hunt him down!"

Danny snorted. "My parents would never work with Phantom." And this was true, but only too late did he realize it was the wrong thing to say.

Sam let out a growl of frustration, "just as I thought, the Fentons are nothing more than small-minded ghost hunters who can only see in black and white." She turned, ready to storm away in anger.

"Danny Phantom…" he began hesitantly, making her pause, "I've never met him, but I think Danny Phantom would be glad that at least- at least someone still believes in him."

Sam looked over her shoulder in surprise and confusion. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but then closed it again; shaking her head she walked away.

"Who the heck was that?" Danny asked when she was out of ear shot.

"Sam Manson, she's a good friend of mine."

"Oh yeah, you two sounded like friends." Danny noted sarcastically.

Tucker laughed. "We do end up arguing a lot," he mused. "But we've know each other since forever, so it's all good."

"Whatever you say." The two teens continued on their way to the table.

"Don't let Sam get to you. She just doesn't like the way your family hunts ghosts, its noting against you personally. At least, I don't think so…"

Danny shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't insulted by Sam. In fact, he liked her already. He had served as a protector for so long he forgot was it was like to have someone defend_ him_.

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Tucker's friends were really nice, but they acted strangely excited around Danny, probably because of his last name. They asked a lot of questions about his parents and if he had ever seen a ghost. It got tiring after a while, but at least it was better than his old school. There he was considered more than just 'the kid with the weird parents'. Some people blamed his parents for the ghost attacks and they took their anger out on the Fenton children. Not that he couldn't handle himself, but glares from strangers on the street, grades marked down by angry teachers, and abuse from bullies could take its toll. Sometimes he thought people treated him better as Danny Phantom than Danny Fenton, but then again, Phantom had the power to vaporize them, so fearful respect was at least granted to one of his sides. This had been one of the reasons his family decided to move in the first place. In Amity Park the Fentons could avoid the picketers and criticism, at least for a while.

Danny was not enjoying the attention he got from being the ghost hunters' son. He was trying to _blend in_ and be _normal_, and yet his parent's reputation was making that very difficult. He wondered if Jazz was having the same problem. Probably not, she loved attention, this was a perfect time for her to talk about her families psyche or something.

Speak of the devil.

"Danny!!" an orange haired girl yelled from across the cafeteria. She found it necessary to wave her hand frantically at him.

"Who's that?" Mikey asked.

"The biggest spazz you will ever meet." Danny answered casually.

They all looked at him in surprise, "that's a little harsh," a brown haired girl with glasses stated.

He shook his head, a smile on his face. "Nah, she's my sister."

"Ohh." There was a collective sound of comprehension.

"Gets on you case, huh?" the same girl asked, and for the life of him, Danny couldn't remember her name.

"She's a little overprotective," Danny agreed. To the halfa's distaste his sister was making her way towards him.

"Hey little brother! How is your first day of school so far?" She asked in that cheerful voice she had.

"Great Jazz, it's great." Danny answered unenthusiastically.

"That's good!" she beamed at him. Jazz was the most observant person Danny knew, so she had to be ignoring his bitter attitude on purpose. "Well, I have to get back, see you at home little bro." She ruffled his hair before leaving.

Disgruntled, Danny glanced over at Tucker, "see what I mean?"

Tucker laughed.

And Danny smiled.

Not bad for a first day.

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Hello everybody! I seriously wrote this in record time (for me) and honestly I think this chapter is a little boring, but I had to explain everything so you can understand where the characters are coming from. Next chapter should be a lot better; I think I'll have Tucker and Sam meet Phantom. When I first thought of this story it kept me up from 11:30 until 3:00 so I have a lot of it planned out. But I am also going to be making a lot of it up as I go along so if you guys have any ideas, please tell me and I'll see if I can work them in. I wrote this spur of the moment and I'm not as serious about it as I could be, so I plan to have fun with it and see how it comes out. But I want to know what you guys think so far, so review please!


	2. Here Goes Everything

Thanks so much for the reviews guys! They really help to let me know how I'm doing.

This chapter was edited by my two amazing cousins! They made it a lot better than how it was, trust me.

Now we get to the interesting part and the real reason I wanted to write this fic. Enjoy!

**Chapter 2 Here Goes Everything**

"Oww, hey!" Danny complained as he was pushed up against his locker hard enough to make his teeth rattle.

"What's up Fen-toenail?" Dash cackled. With a firm grip on his collar he shoved the boy harder against the metal door.

Danny grunted and glared at his tormentor, "let me go Dash, why don't you go bother someone else for a change?" From the corner of his eye Danny could see Tucker protesting the treatment of his friend, but there wasn't much Tucker could do to help in this situation.

"Why would I do that when you're my favorite punching bag?" And to prove his point he balled up his fist and gave Danny one hard punch to his stomach. The black haired boy doubled over and Dash smirked, admiring his handy work. "Catch you later Fenton." As the bully was walking away he gave Tucker a hard shove and knocked him against the lockers, probably for good measure.

Only when he was gone did Danny straighten up again, an irritated look on his face. Dash's punches really didn't hurt. Compared to Vlad's or Skulker's, they were nothing, but it was still annoying to be assaulted every day at school. To make matters worse, Danny had to pretend he was in pain. A boy his size usually couldn't take a punch nor should he be able to win in a fight. Danny could do both and he wouldn't even have to use his ghost powers. This was because over time his fighting skills had sharpened and even his weak human half had become stronger. Fighting for your life will do that to you.

Danny turned to his friend, "You okay Tuck?"

Tucker was surprised to see Danny already on his feet and he hastily joined him, not wanting to look like a baby. "Yeah, sure dude." He brushed himself off casually. "But I think I should be asking you that. Looks like your Dash's new favorite."

Danny shrugged and agreed, "Looks like it, but I'm use to it. It was like this at my old school too."

"I guess people just love hitting you." Tucker joked.

The hybrid laughed, "you have no idea."

Things had been like this for a while. Danny had been in school for a little over a week and Dash had started calling him his 'punching bag' a few days ago. He wasn't sure what he did to make the bully want to hit him so much, but he supposed emulating the classic scrawny nerd that stood no chance against a bully didn't help. Of course, this was the idea, to pretend to be so weak that no one would suspect he had any relations to Phantom; it just had a few side effects.

Nothing big or unexpected had happened in the last week, unless you count a few more ghosts coming out of the portal. The citizens of Amity Park were beginning to realize that meeting a ghost was not as 'exciting' as they thought it would be. Everyone was terrified, almost to the point of paranoia. Anyone caught harboring a ghost did extreme jail time and people were even bringing their friends and family to Fentonworks to be checked for signs of over-shadowing. No cases had been found as of yet. Danny thought everyone was overreacting; he had the ghost problem under control. There hadn't been any deaths or huge property damage like the time he leveled an entire building. And that_ was_ an accident and he _did_ say he was sorry.

But what had people really freaked out was the arrival of Danny Phantom. His parents were not surprised when Phantom showed up; after all, ghosts go where the portal is. However, the rest of the town was not as prepared and everyone discouraged his presence. Well, almost everyone. Danny hadn't been able to talk to Sam since his first day, but her words had never left him. Danny shook his head in awe. Defending a _ghost_ wouldn't bode well in this paranoid town. She didn't even know him and yet she believed in him. That he couldn't understand.

"So do you want to head to the mall? They have an awesome arcade."

Danny nodded, 'Better than going home and trying to avoid his parent's inventions', he thought as Tucker dragged him in the direction of the mall.

They had been hanging out after school together a lot recently. Tucker's other friends never came along and Danny supposed Tucker was just as annoyed with their never-ending questions as he was. Of course Tucker had questions too, but he was more laid back and less persistent then his friends. However, he couldn't answer many of Tucker's questions because most of them were about technology, and if Danny knew anything about that then he might not have gone into the stupid portal in the first place.

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When was the last time Danny had gone to a mall just to play in the arcade? He couldn't remember. But forget 'when', the real question was why he hadn't done this before? Oh yeah, part time superhero, the other part student. He had never had time for fun like this; he also never had a friend he _wanted_ to hang out with.

After an hour or so in the arcade it became apparent that they couldn't just live off of fun. "I'm getting hungry," Danny commented after completing the last level in the Crash Nebula game.

"Me too, let's head to the food court."

As they walked through the mall Tucker continued to play the tour guide as he pointed out the best stores to go to. Not surprisingly, most of them sold electronics.

So far Danny had seen a few kids from school, but it was obvious that the Nasty Burger, a fast food restaurant Tucker dragged him too all the time, was the more common hangout spot for Casper High students.

Without warning Tucker called out a name. At first Danny thought he had heard wrong, but then he saw her, dressed in black and carrying a bag from the store behind her.

Sam smiled at Tucker, but her good mood vanished as soon as her eyes landed on Danny. Tucker seemed oblivious to this as he headed over to greet her. Danny had no choice but to follow.

"Hey Sam, what are you doing here?"

"A new CD I wanted just came out. I would ask you the same, but I know you only come here for the food and arcade," she teased him with a smirk. The girl was only looking at Tucker, completely ignoring his quiet friend.

"Harsh Sam. And that's not all I come here for," he denied. "Like right now I'm showing my man Danny around." At the mention of Danny's name Sam's eyes flicked to him, but only long enough to be considered a glare.

Danny did know if he should be offended or laugh because of the irony. She hated him because she thought he hated his alter ego. He opted to just stay quiet. With his luck, if he opened his mouth he would say something stupid and she'd start yelling at him again. She was kind of frightening when she was angry, and this was coming from a kid who hunted ghosts.

Tucker continued, "We were just about to go get some food, want to come with us?"

"I don't think so," Sam replied coolly. She didn't even have to glance at Danny for him to know the reason.

"Come on Sam! I want my two good friends to get to know each other. I know you will like him if you just give him a chance." Danny immediately realized Tucker wasn't as oblivious to the situation as he thought. But if he knew Sam didn't like him, then why was he insisting they hang out together?

Sam looked at Tucker doubtfully, but before she could say 'no' it became apparent that Tucker had a Plan B.

"Danny likes Humpty Dumpty." He supplied with a grin.

Sam looked a little taken aback as she turned to the boy in question. "You do?"

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit. "Well yeah, I liked them even before they became popular."

"So have I. I just bought their new CD." She pulled it out of the small bag she was carrying.

Danny's blue eyes lit up, "Awesome, that has the song '_Living in Death'_ on it, right? It's my favorite song by them."

The girl narrowed her eyes, "mine too…" She didn't seem happy they shared the same taste in music.

Tucker, on the other hand, sprung at this development. "Great! See? You two have so much in common already! Now let's go get some food." He threw his arms around both of their necks and practically dragged them to the food court. Sam protested at first, but eventually gave in, surprising Danny to no end.

At the food court Tucker and Danny ordered burgers and milkshakes while Sam got this tofu-_thing_. He didn't even know what it was called, but he wasn't about to ask. He was already on thin ice with the girl and he wasn't about to give her any other reason to dislike him.

The first part of their meal was uncomfortably quiet. Tucker had tried to get a couple of conversations started, but Sam obviously wasn't in a talking mood, and he had only managed to get a few words out of Danny.

After a few more moments of silence, Tucker sighed loudly in frustration. "Come on guys! Say something, I'm begging ya! I'm so bored!" Tucker pleaded.

Sam rolled her eye and was about to snap at him when her face suddenly lit up. "I have something to say… to Danny."

Danny almost winced, this can't be good. "Uh-oh." He heard Tucker mumble.

The goth girl glared at Tucker, obviously not appreciating his commentary. "I just wanted to ask Danny how everything was going, since he's new in town."

There was more behind the question then she let on, but Danny didn't have much choice, he had to answer. "Umm, everything good." Maybe if he answered simply then he would avoid whatever trap she was trying to lead him into.

"How about your family?" Yep, she was definitely up to something.

"They're good too, especially since they got the ghost portal up on the first day…" he drifted off, but it was too late. He had already given her too much.

"And the portal is where the ghosts come from?" Her amethyst eyes were gleaming dangerously.

"Yes, but-"

"So your parents opened a world into the ghost dimension and now they're hunting the ghosts for using it?

_'Well, I opened it,' _Danny thought. "They're ghost hunters. It's their job to hunt ghosts."

"Even good ghosts?" Sam challenged.

"Yes, even good ghosts."

Sam blinked. That wasn't what she had been expecting.

"Sam, my parents hunt ghosts, all ghosts. Even if they knew Danny Phantom was a good ghost I still don't think they would care, because hunting is what they're passionate about. It's not their job to judge ghosts, just destroy them."

Sam and Tucker were staring at him with stunned expressions on their faces. The hybrid grimaced inwardly, his take on ghost hunting wasn't exactly _normal_. And it was obviously not what either of the two humans had expected to hear.

Danny was surprised to see Sam's face soften. "But you don't agree with that, do you?"

The boy was stuck, how should he answer? How would a normal kid answer? He knew what a ghost would say, or at least a half ghost. And then a thought struck him, why not be honest? He had already been more himself with these two then he had been with anyone in a long while.

Danny took a breath and sighed, "I don't think it's fair…" he admitted slowly. "But sometimes that doesn't matter. There are so many evil ghosts out there my parents can't ask questions before they shoot. It would be too dangerous for them and for the rest of the town." This was Phantom's area, to not only protect people, but the good ghosts as well. Thanks to him, the only friendly ghost his parents would be shooting at was him.

Sam still looked annoyed, but this time, not because of him. "The end justifies the means, huh? I doubt Phantom feels that way."

Danny's eyes sparkled playfully, "you never know."

Tucker broke in, "so even though you think Danny Phantom is a good ghost you wouldn't tell your parents because it wouldn't make a difference?"

Danny nodded, "that, and they wouldn't agree with me anyway."

Tucker thought for a few seconds before he spoke, "I don't think even I agree with you guys. Maybe Danny Phantom isn't the worst ghost out there like everybody thinks, but he's still dangerous. And he must be really powerful to be able to fight off ghost hunters and his own kind."

The blue eyed boy smiled grimly, "yes," he agreed softly, "he is dangerous."

"But," Sam interjected firmly, "just because he's dangerous doesn't mean we should be afraid of him." Danny' eyebrows furrowed in confusion, she would have to explain her logic on that one. It seemed pretty backwards to him. "Phantom hasn't done anything, despite what the media says, that proves he wants to hurt anyone. Just because he's powerful and he _can_ hurt people doesn't mean he _will_."

"I'd still rather not risk it." The techno geek informed them as he sucked down the last bit of his milkshake.

Danny watched her, trying to hide the amazement on his features. This girl thought differently than everybody else did. Where other people were afraid of something strange and different, she defended it. And he couldn't call her naïve for thinking this way, because she had been right. Just because he could destroy the town didn't mean he was going to. Unfortunately, she was wrong about one thing: he may not want to hurt anybody, but he was still dangerous and that meant they should be afraid.

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The food seemed to do all three of them some good. Sam had finally started warming up to Danny, and in turn the shy teen was back to making jokes and talking comfortably again. Sure, some people might have thought it was the insightful conversation that did this, but Tucker preferred to credit the food. It was his brilliant idea they eat together after all.

The trio wandered the mall together, more interested in talking then going into stores. They talked about classes they had, recent ghost attacks, and Humpty Dumpty, which Tucker was a fan of as well. The techno geek had known Danny and Sam would get along, even if they weren't each other's usual crowed. When Tucker first met Danny he thought he was a nice normal kid. He had been wrong. After spending time with the new kid he realized there was something _off _about him. From a distance it was impossible to tell, but the truth was Danny was… different, although Tucker couldn't quiet put his finger on why. It was because of this difference Tucker knew Sam would like him.

An hour later they were in a video game store looking at the newest version of Doomed which had just come out. Danny was in the middle of a sentence when he suddenly gasped and shivered violently.

"It's not that cold in here," Tucker joked lightly, before turning to his friend in concern.

The boy smiled weakly, "I-I must be coming down with something. Maybe I should go home. I had fun guys. Bye!" Danny spoke so quickly it took a second for Tucker to process what he said. But no sooner had Danny finished his last word he was out of the store and sprinting around the corner, leaving Tucker stunned and thoroughly confused.

"Does he do that a lot?" Sam asked, coming up from behind him.

Tucker shrugged, "he said something about being sick."

"He looked fine to me."

Before Tucker could answer there was a loud explosion. It sounded like part of the building had collapsed; the two of them could feel the vibrations from where they were standing. Tucker's heart had leaped into his throat and he felt Sam jump in surprise. People screamed and fled from the blast, blindly running away without even knowing what they were running from. Tucker thought they should be doing the same.

"Sam, let's get outta-"

She gasped loudly and Tucker's heart almost stopped. He turned to her, afraid she might have been hurt. But she just looked at him with wide, fear filled eyes.

"That- whatever that was-" She began.

"I don't know, but we have to get away. It came from that direction," he pointed. "So we should be able to get out of the mall's main entrance." Tucker grabbed her hand and tried to lead her in the right direction, but she pulled her hand away and remained glued to the floor.

"But Danny-"

"He left before us so he should be fine."

She shook her head stubbornly, "no Tucker, Danny ran _towards_ it."

Tucker swore he could feel the blood leaving his face.

"Danny is in danger," Sam continued, "We have to help him." And with that, she took off in the direction her new friend had headed.

Tucker watched her run towards the danger in amazement, "Oh sure," he called after her, "_now _you decide to like him!" Groaning, he fixed his barrette in determination. Sam was right, Danny was in trouble, and now she was too. He couldn't just abandon them. "Here goes everything," the teen said to no one in particular. He took a breath and headed through the crowd of people running away from the danger.

Lucky them.

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Tucker had managed to catch up with Sam, but only because she had stopped.

'How could she run so fast with those boots on?' Tucker thought as he panted next to her. Sam had been talking to two heavily armed people in jumpsuits. Immediately, Tucker realized these must be Danny's parents. At first Tucker thought Sam might be expressing her thoughts on their ghosts hunting techniques, but when he got closer he was relieved to hear her explaining about their son's situation. Even Sam knew rebellion had its place, especially when their friend was in trouble.

"Who are you two anyway?" Mrs. Fenton asked after hearing what Sam had to say.

"Were friends of Danny's," Tucker answered impatiently, he didn't want to stand around talking while Danny could be in trouble.

"Well, thank you for coming to tell us, but there has been a ghost attack and we need everyone to evacuate the building."

"But Danny-" Sam protested.

"Were going to try and find our son, but he's been through ghosts attacks before. He is probably already outside where it's safe. And that's where you two should be."

Before Sam could protest again the larger man, Danny's father, handed something heavy to Tucker. The boy stared at the ecto-weapon in amazement. It wasn't very big, but it was large enough he would have to use two hands to shoot. "Just in case there are more ghosts," he explained. "Give it to Danny if you see him, my boy knows how to use it."

A frown formed on Mrs. Fenton's face at her husband's actions, probably not too happy that he gave a weapon to a teenager, but she didn't say anything.

Tucker glanced at the weapon one more time before looking up at Sam. "Come on; let's head outside where it's safe." Mr. and Mrs. Fenton referred to their equipment before taking off.

She glared at him, but waited for the Fentons to be out of ear-shot before she spoke. "Do you really think Danny made it outside?" She sounded doubtful.

"No, but we won't be much help if we just followed the Fentons. They are already going to look for Danny where the ghost is, so we would be more useful looking for him over here. Besides, they would never let a couple of kids help."

Sam slowly nodded, excepting this logic. "Good thinking, he's probably taking cover in one of the stores." She glanced at the ecto-weapon in his hands. "Maybe you should keep the gun ready, just in case."

Tucker swallowed and nodded. He had never fired a gun outside of a video game, but it didn't look overly complicated. Hopefully he wouldn't have to use it.

As they went from store to store calling Danny's name they could hear the firing of weapons from a distance. It was chilling knowing they could take a wrong turn and find themselves in the middle of a deadly battle. Their progress took them closer to where the ghost had first attacked, although the specter had moved on to a different part of the mall.

Many of the stores' walls had been blasted down, which was probably the noise they had heard in the first place. Debris from the wall littered the floor, as did glass from the window displays. The ceiling wasn't much better. Black burns from ectoplasmic blasts had caused rubble to fall from above and many of the lights had been destroyed, making it difficult to see. The two teens stepped over the broken glass and peered into the darkness of the each shop, continuing to look for their friend. It was eerily quiet until a new sound reached them. In the store across from them, they could hear a rustling that sounded big enough to be a person… or a ghost.

Tucker held the ecto-gun in front of him, but Sam went first, defeating the purpose of having a weapon ready.

"Danny?" She called cautiously. The lights were dim, but they could still make out a figure at the back of the store. Whoever they were they seemed to be struggling with something restricting their movements. Sam and Tucker moved in to help, the person looked to be about the same size as Danny, and with any luck they could get their friend out of the mall in just a few minutes.

"Danny?" Sam called again, louder this time. The figure froze at the sound of her voice. Tucker and Sam continued forward, confidently walking a little faster. "It's us," Sam assured him, "come on, we have to get out of-."

Sam stopped so abruptly Tucker almost collided with her; the boy looked over her shoulder to see why. The room was dimly lit, but he could clearly see the figure in front of him. Only a few feet away sat one of the most powerful ghosts in the world, Danny Phantom.

The ecto-weapon fell to the floor.

**DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPD**

Sam stared unblinkingly at the ghost before her, too stunned to think properly. Phantom had been motionless since they approached; he was kneeling on the floor and hadn't even lifted his head to look at them. He was bound by what looked like a glowing green net, which he had been struggling with moments before. Sam's best guess was the Fentons had captured him, but were forced into a battle with another ghost, unintentionally giving Phantom time to free himself, which he took full advantage of. Now only the ghost's wrists and legs were bound and one particularly strong rope was cutting tightly across his neck and chest. Had he been human and needed to breathe, he might have passed out.

Next to her, Tucker was as still as Phantom. He had dropped the gun moments before and still hadn't picked it up.

"Phantom?" she breathed. At the sound of his name the ghost slowly raised head to look at her, his inhuman emerald eyes were intense behind his pure white hair. It was difficult for Sam to hold the ghost's gaze, but it was even harder to look away. Experts say that ghosts can't feel emotions, at least, not the same as people can. Strong negative emotions like hate could survive through death, but other emotions like love, compassion, fear, and guilt cannot be felt by a ghost. However, the shock, fear and pure panic in Phantom's eyes were no less real then her own emotions.

"G-get out of here." Phantom commanded shakily, Sam noticed his voice had a slight echo to it.

She still didn't move, but Tucker had inched closer to her and was now pulling on her arm. "Sam, let's get out of here while we still can," he whispered into her ear.

Sam shook her head and pulled her arm away. She felt like she should do something to try and help Phantom, but at the same time she couldn't stop her hands from trembling. The girl was frustrated with herself; it wasn't right to be afraid just because he was a ghost, but knowing this didn't quell her fear. Ghosts were dangerous and unpredictable and she was closer than she ever thought she would get to one. Anyone would be afraid, Sam just hated the fact that she was.

Since it didn't look like they were leaving anytime soon, Phantom had finally decided to continue freeing himself. He attempted to undo the knots around his wrist, but the more he struggled, the tighter and more complex the knots became.

Even though he wasn't getting anywhere, Tucker reacted to Phantom's attempt to escape. The gun on the floor was remembered and the ecto-weapon whirred to life in Tucker's hands. He pointed the weapon at Phantom's chest. The low hum of energy meant it was ready to be fired. All Tucker had to do was pull the trigger.

Phantom stopped struggling immediately, eyes trained on the weapon. Neither of them dared to move. "Are you going to shoot me?" he asked calmly, but he couldn't hide the unease in his eyes.

Sam was surprised at Tucker's boldness, but she could understand his need for control right now. If Phantom got loose, even with the ecto-weapon they wouldn't be able to protect themselves. But with the net restricting not only the ghost's movements, but his powers as well, Phantom was the defenseless one.

Tucker didn't answer Phantom's question, he just kept the weapon pointed at him, his hands shaking slightly. It was a standoff between them. Phantom's eyes didn't leave the weapon for a second and Tucker refused to back down. Sam realized this wasn't going to end well and that only she could do something.

Slowly she took a step forward and then another one; the fear in her chest replaced by a strange determination.

"Sam? Wh-what are you doing?" Tucker's voice quivered and his grip on the gun tightened.

She didn't answer. As Sam approached, Phantom's attention was directed away from the weapon and onto her. It was strange to see a powerful ghost shrink away as a human knelt before him. Phantom eyed her suspiciously, like he thought she was going to pull out a weapon of her own.

"It's okay," she found herself assuring him, "we're going to help you."

Phantom's face changed into a look of confusion, quickly followed by distrust. He reminded Sam of a trapped animal, desperate to be free, but unpredictable and ready to lash out at anything he perceived as a threat, and right now that was the two of them.

"Were going to do what?! No way Sam, this is too dangerous. We have to leave." Tucker pleaded with her, a level of panic in his voice she had never heard before.

Sam looked directly into Phantom's eyes as she spoke, hoping he would understand she was telling the truth. "If we leave now then he will be captured, and who knows what will happen to him. We have to help." She reached out towards him and he watched her warily, unsure of her intentions. As soon as her fingers came in contact with his icy arm he jerked away as if he'd been burned. Phantom's sudden movement had made Tucker jump as well, and Sam had to give him credit for not shooting the gun. She tried again, slower this time, until her hand came to rest on Phantom's forearm. The natural cold from the ghost began to seep into her bones and she tried to repress a shiver.

Sam was surprised at how solid he was; if he wasn't so cold he could have been human, especially with those eyes. At first the green orbs were disconcerting, but the way he watched her apprehensively and yet at the same time curiously, was so incredibly human. Even chained, there was a spark of life that shone through his supposedly emotionless eyes. That was why she couldn't leave him to the ghost hunters; she couldn't be responsible for indirectly killing a ghost that was so _alive_. Even if that made no logical sense whatsoever.

Sam used both of her hands to loosen one of the ropes around his wrist, which was digging into his skin. It was no wonder he was having a hard time freeing himself.

Phantom spoke, not bothering to hide his unease this time. "What- what are you doing?"

"I told you. I'm getting you free before the Fentons come back." As Sam managed to loosen another binding knot she realized the ghost's arms were shaking. In fact, his whole body was trembling in fear. It suddenly hit Sam how much danger the ghost was in and how terrified he was. If she didn't hurry, there was something worse than death waiting for Phantom.

"Why?" She heard the ghost ask softly.

"Do you want to be experimented on?" Sam growled, starting to lose her patience. She felt him tense at her words. "Tucker, get over here and help me!"

Tucker didn't move. "Sam, if you let him go, he's going to kill us."

Sam didn't answer, annoyed because that unpleasant thought had already crossed her mind. She wasn't stupid, she knew untying Phantom could be the last thing she did. It would be sickeningly easy to hurt them once he was free. All Sam could do was hope she was right about him and that the rest of the world was wrong.

Phantom looked from Tucker to her before he spoke, "he's right you know." Sam felt her heart jump into her throat as a chill ran down her spine. "Nothing would stop me from hurting you if I wanted too."

Her heart hammered loudly in her head. "Do you want to?" she asked softly, preferring to look at the knot she was working on rather than him.

He was quite for a long moment and then, "no." Immediately her heat rate slowed.

"Oh come on! Like we can trust you! You would say anything to get free."

"Tucker…" Sam warned in a low voice, "I'm helping Phantom and so are you. Unless you just want to stand there and hold the gun, which won't be any use against Phantom once he's untied."

Tucker gulped, but continued to stand there, thinking over his options. Hesitantly he powered the energy weapon down. "I hope you know what you're doing…" Kneeling beside Sam, the boy tentatively began helping Sam loosen the bindings.

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Danny had seen people do crazy and dangerous things, but this was unbelievable. He didn't care how strongly Sam believed Phantom was a hero, this was downright insane. Freeing a ghost without assurance they wouldn't betray you, Danny didn't even think he would do that, at least not if he were human and defenseless. Sam had been afraid of him, just like every human he met. More than anything Danny hated the look of fear on people's faces he caused just by existing. There wasn't a single person who could look at Danny Phantom and not be afraid. Even his own parents were scared of him. But there was something different about Sam's fear. It hadn't disappeared, but her odd desire to help him seemed to override it. Even Tucker's loyalty towards his friend caused him to push his initial reaction aside and help her, where many people would have run away and left their friend behind.

The two humans worked fast together, untangling the knots he couldn't manage by himself. He couldn't understand why they would put their lives at risk; they had nothing to gain from helping him, but everything to lose.

At last the ropes around his wrists fell to the floor and he took this opportunity to hastily untie the rest himself. Tucker and Sam stood up and gave him some space, waiting for him to finish. This would have been the perfect moment for them to run while he was still busy, and yet they made no motion to leave. He could feel the tension in the air as he rid himself of the last of the net. Standing up, he faced the two humans, unsure of what was going to happen now. He didn't know what he could say to assure them he wasn't going to attack. Tucker had placed himself loosely in front of Sam, like he was trying to protect her without making it obvious.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I didn't expect anyone to help me," he admitted at last. "No one ever does."

Silence echoed his words until Sam found her voice. "You save people's lives all the time; we were just returning the favor."

He smiled lightly at her words, "well, whatever the reason, thank you. I would have never gotten out of that if it wasn't for you two."

"What happened to you?" Sam questioned.

"I was in the area when the ghost attacked. I had never seen this ghost before, but while I was fighting, the Fentons showed up." Phantom glared at the net in annoyance, "They must of upgraded whatever they put in that thing, I couldn't break out like usual." He turned back to them, "good thing you two were around… what were you doing here anyway?"

"We were looking for our friend; we know he was close to the ghost attack when it happened." Tucker explained. "We wanted to make sure he was okay."

Danny tried to keep his face expressionless so they wouldn't see his astonishment. They went looking for him? That was flattering and dangerous at the same time. He hoped they didn't do this at every ghost attack or he would have a real problem keeping his secret identity. "Everyone who was there when the ghost first attacked ran for the exit. Your friend is probably outside wondering where you are right now."

Tucker used this to his advantage. "Well then, we better get going, right Sam?" His eagerness to leave was painfully obvious as he pulled Sam towards the door.

Phantom watched them go; fully knowing Tucker never expected the two of them would make it out alive. "The exit to your right is closer and probably safer. I'm going to make sure the Fentons managed to capture the ghost."

Before Tucker managed to pull her all the way out of the store, Sam slowed and looked over her shoulder, "Be careful, and watch out for anymore nets," she warned with a smirk.

Danny could help but laugh, surprising all of them, including himself. "Will do. I won't have you guys there to save me next time."The grin was contagious and even Tucker was smiling a little. He seemed to realize Phantom was going to let them go unharmed. The ghost boy was about to leave, but at the last second he hesitated and turned back to them. "I- umm," he licked his lips as he struggled with what he wanted to say, "thanks again, I didn't know what I was going to do... and I just- well, thank you." He didn't know how to express how grateful he was towards them and his words didn't feel like enough.

Apparently Sam understood, because she nodded and smiled knowingly at him, "you're welcome."

Phantom pushed himself into the air and fazed through the ceiling without another word.

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Sam stared at the place Phantom had disappeared. When Phantom had thanked them his voice had been full of emotion and his eyes shone with genuine gratitude. It was like no one had ever helped him before, and that he was surprised someone would go out of their way for him. It must be miserable for him, to be treated like a monster by the people he saved.

Sam turned to her good friend, "let's go see if Danny is outside." The boy nodded and led the way. She believed Tucker's opinion of Phantom would change after this, and perhaps, he would be the first of many. People had to realize he was good eventually, right?

Outside there were a lot of people waiting around, probably morbidly curious if the ghost hunters had won or not. The police were there to keep everyone away from the building and checking to make sure no one was hurt. Since he blended into the background, it was hard to spot Danny at first. Sam breathed a sigh of relief when she saw he was unharmed. Tucker eagerly bounded over to the boy, probably excited to tell him about their encounter with Danny Phantom.

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In the series both Danny and Sam have said the line 'here goes everything' and I always thought it was a unique take on the saying 'here goes nothing'. But it bugged me that Tucker never got to say it. Well, now he does.

Danny's views on things are a little different than in the cartoon, but that is because of how this AU works. It's kind of weird to write him like this though.

I'm in college now so I'm not sure how often my updates will be, but I'm going to try to make them as frequent as I can. To do that I'm working on the next chapter right now.

Review and let me know what you thought.


	3. Meeting the Fentons

Hi again everyone! I want to start by saying I am so sorry it took this long to get this chapter up! I seriously did not think it was going to take this long, but getting used to college took up more time than I thought. However, I hope I'm going to if not make it up to you, then at least make you hate me less. I have made this chapter twice as long to help make up for my lack of updates. So basically you are getting 2 chapters in the time it should take me to write 3 or 4 (most likely 3). Not the best deal, but I thought it was better than just one chapter. And I also hope you guys don't mind long chapters, I personally love them. So thanks for sticking with me and I hope you will never have that long of a wait again.

Thanks again to my betas, who are also my cousins, for looking over this chapter. And I'm sorry for anymore grammatical errors we may have missed.

And a thanks to those people who PM-ed me asking me to update. I'm glad they liked the story enough to take the time to do that! And to all my reviewers, wow, where would I be without you?

**Chapter 3 Meeting the Fentons**

_'Oh no, Lancer is going to kill me! I can't be late again-_' Danny's thought were cut off by a loud bell, signaling the start of school. The boy groaned and continued running up the front steps to the building. This was the third time this week he had been late and it was only Wednesday!

With a new town to explore and wreak havoc on, more ghosts were climbing out of the portal then usual. On his way to school he had already got caught up in two ghost fights, and who knows how many more there will be today? Danny could remember the good old days where he only had to deal with one or two ghosts a day. That was before he moved to 'a nice place to live' Amity Park.

First period of the day was, as always, Mr. Lancer's English class. Danny got the distinct impression that his English teacher didn't like him very much, although what teacher would like a student who falls asleep in class and shows up late almost every day? Danny opened the door to the classroom carefully. He was almost as good at pretending to be invisible as he was at actually being invisible, perhaps he could just sneak in and no one would notice…

"Mr. Fenton, you're late." Lancer told him in a stern 'no nonsense' voice. Danny didn't even think he looked up from the board he was writing on.

"Sorry Mr. Lancer I-"

"'Sorry' is not going to excuse you from being tardy, but perhaps a detention will help you get your priorities in order."

Glumly Danny nodded and headed to his seat. He had long ago learned when making up excuses helped and when they wouldn't. Detention was a time consuming hassle he would have to put up with. However, it wouldn't change a thing, despite what Mr. Lancer thought, because in Danny's opinion he already had his priorities in order. Saving lives was much more important than getting to class on time.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sam and Tucker give him a curious look, but they didn't say anything. They probably assumed his parents had made him late again, or at least that was the excuse Danny had fed them yesterday.

"Pass up your assignment from last night. It wasn't very long so you should have had plenty of time to complete it."

Miraculously, Danny had finished this one, but like all his work it was rushed and done late at night. As soon as the paper left his hand a cold shiver ran up his spine and blue mist escaped his mouth.

All he could think was, _'again?!?!' _and his hand shot into the air automatically.

"Yes, Mr. Fenton?"

Danny froze when he realized he didn't have an excuse, thinking fast he said the first thing that came to his mind. "I forgot my book in my locker, can I go get it?" Amazing enough, this was actually true.

"If you're going to come to my class late then I at least expect you to be prepared."

"Sorry sir." He tried to actually look remorseful while at the same time listening for the sounds of screams or explosions that would indicate where the ghost was. "Can I go get my book?"

Mr. Lancer sighed. "Yes, but hurry…" Danny was out of the room before he even finished, "back."

Danny ran down the hall and skidded around the corner. The boy's bathroom was empty; a perfect spot to change. Concentrating on the cold that was ever-present inside his chest, he forced the sensation to spread throughout his entire body. He was so used to this alternate form he barely noticed the difference. To him it seemed natural to not have a beating heart, or the necessity to breathe. He was constantly cold, but he never felt the need to shiver. Danny felt strong in this form, powerful enough to defeat any enemy, fly to impossible heights, and transcend the laws of physics. He could do anything he pleased, and that's what scared him the most. Perhaps ten years in the future he would be doing anything he wanted without remorse for the lives he…

Danny shook his head, cutting his thoughts off before they went any further. He didn't need to be thinking about that, he had a job to do. The ghost boy flew through the wall, keeping his eyes and ears open for any signs of the ghost. However, before he put serious effort into searching for the ghost Danny took a quick detour to his locker, but not for the textbook Lancer thought he was getting. Without even bothering with the combination, Danny phased his hand inside and pulled out a green and white thermos.

He grimaced when he saw it was almost full. If he didn't empty the container soon he would have no way to capture ghosts later. Slinging the strap of the thermos around his shoulder he flew down the hall, not sure where he was headed, but knowing he wouldn't have to wait for long. Seconds later, screams erupted from the classroom on his right and he quickly phased through the door without a second thought.

Well, whatever it was, it was ugly. The ghost was some sort of giant lizard with foot long incisors that were too big for its mouth. The claws on all four of its legs were obviously designed for hunting and its whole body glowed with spectral energy. Spikes adorned its back and tail making it look almost like a dinosaur or a dragon. However, Danny knew dragon ghosts and this certainly wasn't one of them. Tongue testing the air, its snake-like eye's cast around the classroom watching the students cower behind their desks.

Danny recognized this classroom as his math class, and as he floated further into the room he could see his teacher hiding behind a large desk. A scream erupted from the student closest to the door: Danny Phantom had been spotted.

Panic induced whispers spread between his peers. The students looked from the lizard to him; unsure what ghost they should be more afraid of.

In the corner Danny could hear his teacher whimper fearfully, "th-there's two of them?" The man's knuckles had turned white from the death grip he had on his desk.

The monstrous ghost turned its attention towards the girl that screamed. Slowly, it progressed towards her, tongue flicking, eyes never leaving its prey. The girl backed up against the wall, her blue eyes wide with fear.

Danny formed a ball of ecto-energy in his hand. He didn't want to start a huge fight with so many people in the room, but hopefully he could draw the ghost's attention away, giving the class a chance to evacuate. Before he could shoot the ghost, however, another student did something he never expected.

A feminine growl erupted from the throat of another girl as she stepped in front of the ghost's previous victim. "Get away from her!" There was a loud crack as the she slammed a chair over the lizard's head. The seat splintered in half and pieces flew everywhere. The brave African American girl stood panting before the beast, waiting to see if her attack had any effect.

Unfortunately, all the ghost did was shake its head, look slightly dazed and twice as bloodthirsty as before. The lizard took a step forward, its eyes now locked on the new girl.

Danny was still floating above them, shocked at what he had seen. He had never seen a human who wasn't a trained ghost hunter take on a ghost before. Especially since the creature wasn't after her in the first place.

Danny' thoughts were brought back to the fight when he saw the girl's hands tighten into fists as she took on an aggressive stance. She was planning on fighting the ghost even if she had to do it with her bare hands. Danny wasn't going to let that happen, it wasn't her job to put her life at risk.

"Hey Ugly!" The ghost didn't seem to hear him as it continued to advance towards the girl. "No response? Sorry, but I'm not that easy to ignore." Danny finally released the ecto-energy that has been building up in his palm. The energy he put into the blast was highly concentrated, easily knocking the lizard backwards into the opposite wall.

There were more screams as the desks and walls shook form the force of the blast. Kid's dove under their desks as if they expected him to start shooting at them next.

Danny rolled his eyes at their unnecessary fear, but in truth, he really couldn't blame them. Carefully he floated closer to where the ghost had fallen; confident the fight was far from over.

Sure enough the animalistic ghost rose to its feet. Shaking its head the lizard let out and angry hiss. Danny fell into a defensive position, waiting for his opponent to make the first move.

Quickly glancing over his shoulder, he noticed the entire class was still watching the fight. "What are you waiting for? Get out of here!" he ordered the students. He returned his wary gaze to the ghost, knowing it was too risky to divert his attention from the fight for too long. Thankfully, he heard a scramble of bodies behind him notifying Danny the students had taken his advice and bolted.

"Looks like it's just you and me now… let's just get this over with." Danny told the ghost, but it seemed unlikely the creature could understand him.

The Lizard let out a hiss and lunged for Danny's neck. It was faster than the boy expected, and to avoid its teeth Danny had to roll ungracefully out of the way. After landing Danny jumped back into the air, barley missing a second attack. Apparently the creature held no hesitation when it came to hunting its prey.

Almost by instinct, ecto-energy was already forming in both of Danny's palms. Danny would get nowhere by constantly dodging attacks; he had to put the ghost on the defensive. Using the creature's prior moves against him, Danny lunged, hurling balls of ectoplasmic energy at the lizards head. Although the creature was fast, it couldn't avoid them all. Once it was hit, Danny didn't let it recover. Using all the strength he could summon, Danny struck the ghost with his fist, sending it crashing into the wall behind it.

Briefly, Danny wondered if he would still have math class tomorrow even though there was a giant hole in the wall.

The white-haired boy approached the rubble cautiously, only to find the ghost was no longer there. Whipping around he saw the classroom was empty, but that didn't mean he was alone. His muscles tensed and he could feel energy rushing to his fingertips once again, ready to be formed into the cold-heat of ectoplasmic energy at his command. In the silence of the room Danny could hear the crackling of the pent up energy in the air around his ghostly form. At this moment he was so powerful, and at the same time, so vulnerable.

When the attack came there was no way Danny could have prepared for it. The creature was too fast for him to react properly, and all he had time for was a delayed attempt at turning himself intangible. The ghost's attack came from above and phased them both through the floor in a mix of furry and confusion. He knew he was somewhere underground, and it was a while before he gained power of flight again. Disoriented, Danny ascended from the dark earth and found himself outside. The attack had thrown him farther than he thought, and his ribs ached from where the ghost had struck him. Luckily, Danny had somehow managed to avoid the claws. Bruised, but far from beaten, Danny looked around for any sign of his opponent.

The situation had suddenly gotten a lot better. It was easier, not to mention safer for the students, if the fight took place outside instead of inside the school.

Unfortunately, the protocol for ghost attacks was evacuation. Danny cursed as he watched a steady stream of students exit the building and walk strait into a battlefield.

It was times like these Danny wished his ghost sense could be a bit more precise as he looked around for the ghost. Danny hoped that the lizard was still after him and would leave everyone else alone. Hovering about ten feet in the air, Danny kept a close eye on the students just in case.

Apparently the ghost thought Danny was the more interesting prey. Invisible, the lizard managed to catch Danny off guard for a second time and they both went tumbling to the ground; the creature's jaws snapping ferociously at him along the way. When they hit the cement the lizard was still on top of him, its claws and teeth searching hungrily for flesh. Holding the monster at arm's length, Danny was just barely able to keep the creature from tearing him apart. After a while, Danny could feel his strength fading as the ghost's hungry excitement grew, he wasn't sure how long he could continue to hold him back.

In the young hero's peripheral vision he saw what looked like the entire school watching the fight in fascinated horror. He wondered briefly what the observers might be thinking, and if they were hoping the two ghosts to tear each other apart and save the ghost hunters the trouble. He wondered if Sam and Tucker were watching; if they would care at all if he lost.

Danny grimaced as he lost his grip. The lizard lunged, barley missing his shoulder. Danny summoned what was left of his strength and forced the creature's deadly jaws away from his body. What was wrong with him? This ghost may have been fast, but Danny had fought stronger enemies than this. He just felt so _tired_. It was ghost attack after ghost attack and sometimes he forgot why he was still fighting. This town would be no different than the last, as long as he was a ghost, he would be the enemy. No one wanted him around, so why was he even trying anymore? Maybe they would be better off without him.

Danny grunted as the ghost suddenly seemed to grow stronger, its incisors inching closer. Suddenly, a familiar voice reached Danny's ears, and at first he thought he was delusional and hearing things.

"Go Phantom!" Tuckers voice came through the crowed. "You can do it!"

Danny was numb with shock. No one had ever cheered for him before. And he thought Tucker was terrified of him, just like everyone else.

Then he could hear another voice that he instantly recognized as Sam's. "Come on Phantom!"

Danny couldn't help but smile a little. Even if it was only two people, it felt good to know at least someone was on his side.

The ghost growled and Danny suddenly remembered why he was fighting. If he lost, then the ghost wouldn't stop at him. It would go after the other students who had no chance of defending themselves. Innocent people would be at risk, two of them would be Sam and Tucker.

The ghost suddenly didn't feel as strong as before and Danny's fatigue was overcome by a wave of determination. Inspiration hit and the young hero called energy into his fists once again. A blast of powerful ecto-energy against the lizard's soft underbelly was enough to send it flying. The creature landed in a heap five feet away and didn't get up as fast as before. Now it actually looked injured as it tottered uneasily on its feet.

Danny didn't let it recover as he threw energy balls one after another, aiming for its venerable stomach. He wasn't sure where this new boundless energy was coming from since he had been so tired just moments before. When it was down for a second time Danny took this opportunity to open the lid of the thermos.

"Well, it's been fun. But now I think it's time for you to leave." The ghost hissed in frustration and anger as it was sucked into the round devise.

Even though he didn't need to breath, Danny couldn't help but sigh in relief. He had been really close to losing more than just the fight. His hands were shaking slightly as he adjusted the strap of the thermos around his chest. Usually he tried to get out of the spotlight as fast as he could, but this time he hesitated and looked down at his terrified audience. He felt a strong desire to tell them that he was the good guy; that he was fighting to protect them. But at the last moment he decided against it. Why bother? He had tried to explain himself to his last town and no one believed him. It wouldn't be any different here.

Before he turned to leave his eyes rested on two very familiar faces, Sam and Tucker were looking up at him, somehow lacking the fear Danny saw in everyone else. He smiled lightly at them and they returned the gesture.

Turning away from his peers and teachers Danny flew strait into the sky and then disappeared from sight. Now invisible, he doubled back and found a safe place to transform inside the abandoned school. Phasing the now full thermos into his locker Danny pulled out his English book; might as well complete his alibi.

He snuck back out of the school and joined the large crowed that was still standing around, watching something. Danny's stomach dropped when he saw what it was. He had been a minute away from an encounter with the Guys in White. Danny Phantom hadn't had a run in with the GIW stationed in Amity Park yet, and he never intended too. At first the GIW in his hometown were pathetic and easily avoided, but over time, and through new technology, they had gotten better. Danny wasn't eager to find out how good these guys were, and he was happy to avoid them all together.

Danny hated fighting the Guys in White; they were a very difficult enemy. Not difficult because they were talented, no they were far from that, but it was because they were human. Fighting them went against everything he stood for. He wanted to protect humans against the ghost threat, not be the ghost threatening the humans. More importantly, humans were fragile. Even the GIW with all their shiny weaponry were still mortal. Ghosts were different, they were more resilient and it wasn't as if they could die. Perhaps there was a way to completely obliterate a ghost… but there was something completely _wrong_ about that idea.

The crowed watched as the Guys in White swept the area of any lasting signs of ecto-energy. The government agents were obviously hoping for some kind of lead that would tell them where the ghosts had gone, or if they were still around. Thankfully, Danny didn't show up on any of their scanners while in human form. Only a few of his parents inventions had managed to recognize his inhuman status, and he avoided those whenever they were brought out.

Sam and Tucker must have noticed him emerging from the school and they made their way through the crowed to meet him.

"Don't tell me you were in there the whole time?" Tucker asked, gesturing towards the school.

Danny nodded and tried to act like the awkward and slightly confused Danny Fenton. It wasn't hard. "Yeah, I was all the way at my locker when everyone evacuated."

"Man!" Tucker cried in excited frustration. "You always miss everything!"

Danny grinned sheepishly and Tucker eagerly filled him in with what he had 'missed'.

"…After Danny Phantom sucked the ghost into this container thingy he flew off. The Guys in White appeared right after that." Tucker was coming to the end of his explanation on what happened.

At the mention of the GIW Sam growled and clenched her fists. "Those Government goons… all they care about are their next promotion and how many new weapons they get to play with. I don't understand why everyone is so happy they're here, they didn't _do_ anything! They arrived late and if it wasn't for Danny Phantom capturing the ghost people would have probably been killed."

"Yes Sam, we know, you have a problem with authority." Tucker rolled his eyes and didn't see the death glare Sam shot him. "But it does seem strange though…" The techno geek suddenly became serious. "It was obvious Phantom saved the school from the ghost, but no one seemed to realize that even though they saw the same things we did." Tucker frowned in confusion.

"That's because he's a ghost." They both looked at Danny in surprise.

"But he's a good ghost. He saved us." Sam protested.

Danny smiled grimly, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter. As long as he's a ghost he will be considered an enemy who is no different than the other ghosts who attack the town."

"But he is different! We've only just met him and we can tell, shouldn't it be obvious to people who are ghost experts?" Tucker asked in frustration.

Danny tilted his head in confusion, "you guys really don't know? I thought the entire town would have been told by now."

"Told what?"

Danny took a breath; he didn't like explaining this, mostly because it wasn't entirely true. "You know how ghosts used to be humans before they died?" Tucker and Sam nodded. "Well, ghosts are just an echo of what they once were. They're really post-human consciousness manifesting itself through ectoplasm." Danny stopped when he noticed the strange looks he was getting. "What?" he asked self-consciously. "I may not be the best student, but you pick up a few things living with two ghost hunters." _That and you pay a lot more attention when you're suddenly the one manifesting energy through ectoplasm..._

His friends grinned at his explanation and urged him to continue.

"Well, that's all ghosts are: memories, desires, and all the negative emotion from the person that has died. There's no humanity left in them, that's what makes them so dangerous. Most of them are monsters, they don't have any desire beyond causing others pain, or if they do have a specific goal, they don't care who gets hurt in order to obtain it. Even if they seem human and act like they have emotion, they don't, it's just an echo of who they use to be. That's why the ghost hunters don't trust Phantom. They don't believe it is possible for a ghost to have any humanity left in them."

Danny finally finished that biased speech he had heard one too many times. Granted, his words were true, but there were always exceptions to the rules. Ghost hunters did not know about ghosts who were never human and who had come into existence inside of the Ghost Zone. These were monster-like creatures that would soon as attack Danny then look at him, but these were also allies like Frostbite and Clockwork who Danny trusted more than anyone. And despite what ghosts hunters believed, not all ghosts lost their humanity when they died; some had a strong enough will to hold on to their understanding of right from wrong. Kindness was not lost in the Ghost Zone, it was just really hard to come by. But Sam and Tucker did not need to know about all that. They would be better off thinking humanity was impossible for ghosts. It would be better if they thought Danny Phantom was only an echo of a person without any moral compass to guide him. Sure he could be saving the town today, but tomorrow he would be the source if it's destruction- at least; this is what the experts believed.

His two friends fidgeted at his explanation. Finally, Tucker spoke softly, "he didn't seem like an echo to me…"

Sam shook her head defiantly. "No… and I've heard of that before… that a ghost's emotions aren't real. But when we met Phantom I-I knew that couldn't be true. I don't care if they're 'experts;' they're wrong." Her face was set in a determined scowl that told Danny she knew she was right and nothing was going to change her mind.

The hybrid attempted to hold back a smile. _Didn't these two listen to any logic besides their own?_ But secretly, Danny was glad Phantom was still a good ghost in their eyes. He never understood how much their opinion meant to him before today. Maybe that was ridiculous; they were only two people out of millions. Their opinion shouldn't have really mattered. But somehow, they did.

The Guys in White must have given the faculty the all clear, because the teachers turned to address the students. "Alright everyone, back to your classrooms!" Mr. Lancer ordered through a microphone.

"What? No way," Tucker groaned. "We're still going to have school after that? Half the students have already run off!"

Danny chuckled. They can't cancel school after every ghost attack, especially since this will probably start happening daily at the rate the ghosts are coming out of the Portal. His old school learned this very quickly. In fact, sometimes they didn't even bother evacuating. It wasn't as if they were safer outside of a building then inside when it came to ghosts.

"Come on guys," Tucker urged, "lets ditch, they'll never know." That sounded really great to Danny, especially because he was worn from the attack. However, his grades were suffering enough as it is and he actually did his homework last night!

"Uh huh, and what happens when we have to run that mile in P.E. and you're not there," Sam asked with a smirk. "I don't think your grade in that class can handle another 'F'."

"She wouldn't do that… half the class is missing already!"

"It's Tetslaff, of course she would."

"True," Tucker sighed in defeat. "I can't believe I got stuck with her two years in a row…" he grumbled to himself.

The trio followed the rest of the student body back into the school. Nobody noticed how one of their own, a shy black-haired boy, limped slightly and brought his hand up to his bruised ribs once in a while. No one would notice, because he was good at hiding it, and by the end of the school day he would be completely healed.

Most of them didn't even know this boy's name, but the day Phantom attacked the school would always be etched in their memories.

* * *

Today had been exhausting. Even though school was over, Danny was regretting his decision not to ditch. The only positive thing was his injuries were now healed thanks to his powers. They were nothing big, only a few bruises and a twisted ankle. In all honestly Danny felt really lucky, it could have been a lot worse.

He supposed there was one other good thing. Mr. Lancer had postponed his detention because the staff was having an emergency meeting, probably trying to come up with the best way to deal with the ghost attacks. Or figure out what to do with the giant whole in the classroom. Either way Danny was free… at least until tomorrow.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Tucker and Danny had had the last class of the day together and they had just exited the school.

Danny shrugged. "I don't know. I'm kind of tired; I was just thinking I would go home."

Suddenly Tucker's eyes lit up. "Can I come?" he asked in excitement.

"To where? My house?" Danny asked incredulously. Why would anyone want to go there? He didn't even want to go there half the time.

The techno geek nodded fervently. "I want to see what kind of technology your parents have. They must have all the new models! And they even make their own stuff right?"

Danny stopped walking just in front of the school. "They make most their stuff actually," he corrected. "I-I don't think you will be interested technology in the lab, it's all ghost hunting stuff. And most of it isn't new."

"Tech is still tech, so… can we go see it."

"I really… I don't think that's a good idea. I-"

"You don't think what is a good idea?" Sam asked, coming up from behind them. The three of them had been hanging out together a lot more since the incident at the mall a few days ago. Despite Sam being in a different crowd she often joined them after school to hang out.

"Danny's going to take us to see his house!" Tucker announced.

"I never said-"

"Really?" Sam interrupted, eyes glittering much like Tucker's were. "I've always wanted to see the portal…"

"You guys don't understand…"

"Oh man, I forgot about the portal! But when you're there Sam you have to be nice or Danny won't be allowed to invite us back again. Don't start a debate on how it's wrong to hunt ghost." Tucker warned.

Sam glared at him. "I don't think it's wrong to hunt ghosts. I think it's wrong to hunt _innocent _ghosts. And I wasn't planning to. Danny already said his parents wouldn't listen to reason. So I'm going to protest in a way that I'll actually get results."

"That's great Sam," Danny acknowledged distractedly. "But you see…"

"Whatever. Let's just head over there now." Tucker hadn't seemed to have heard Danny.

The two of them turned to start walking in the direction of Danny's house, not noticing their friend's distressed expression. Danny sighed, Sam and Tuck usually listened to him, but this time their excitement seemed to have gotten the best of them. He knew one way to get his friends attention, but was he really going to use it? He spent so much time trying to burry Phantom while he was Fenton that it felt counterintuitive to let him through. Then again, he really needed to stop them.

"Guys," his tone was suddenly stern, very unlike lighthearted Danny Fenton's voice. "Stop." He didn't shout or talk very loud, but the authority in his command was unmistakable. Sam and Tucker obeyed without thinking, turning to him in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked in confusion.

His plan worked on getting their attention, but now he had to do some damage control. He allowed his expression to fade into a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Well, uhh, I was just thinking, maybe we should go to the movies instead?" he suggested.

Sam and Tucker looked at each other, each coming to the same realization. "Danny…" Sam began slowly. "Is there any reason why you don't want us to go to your house?"

"No," he denied a little too quickly. His friends didn't buy it. "Well, sort of," he admitted. "You see, my parents aren't exactly normal..."

Tucker laughed, "who's are?"

The black-haired boy shook his head. "No, you don't understand. My parents are obsessed with ghost hunting, it's their lives work."

"So?" Tucker shrugged, not seeing the point.

"It can get pretty insane at my house at times, I would rather not drag you two into that." This was probably the most honest thing he had told Sam and Tucker in a while. It was strange, Danny felt like he could be honest with them, to a certain extent. His friends actually looked at him like he was_ normal_. He felt like a regular kid around them, and he wasn't use to feeling so comfortable with people. Perhaps too comfortable, he allowed his human façade down around them more than he should. However, his friends never seemed disturbed when he wasn't a hundred percent normal. When he let Phantom through, like he did a second ago, his friends barely batted and eye where most people would be surprised Danny Fenton could command that level of authority. The last thing he wanted was for his parents to scare off the only two people he didn't feel like a total freak around.

Surprisingly, Sam smirked. "That's what's bothering you? Danny, parents are supposed to embarrass their kids, it's mandatory. That doesn't mean you can't have friends over."

"Yeah, says the girl who always makes excuses every time I suggest we study at her house."

Sam's eyes narrowed dangerously at Tucker. The boy smartly took a step back.

"But you guys don't understand! My parents-"

"Danny," Sam sighed. "You need to learn to relax. Your parents can't be that bad. And if they are well… at least their more interesting to be around than mine."

"Yeah dude." Tucker slapped him on the shoulder supportively. "This will be fun. You said you had some cool video games right?" Tucker started heading towards Danny's house and Sam followed.

"I have some, yeah." Danny agreed, reluctantly moving his legs to follow his friends. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Danny rarely invited anyone to his house. He spent too much time and energy trying to convince people he was normal to have it ruined by meeting his parents. Most people know he is the son of ghost hunters, they already think that is weird enough, no need to show them exactly how right they are.

But maybe Sam had a point; perhaps he did need to relax. Danny was worried Sam and Tucker would be weirded out by his parents, but these were the same teens who not only met Phantom, but helped him out as well. If they could handle facing a ghost then they should be fine with ghost hunters, right?

* * *

Danny opened the front door to his house as quietly as possible. Maybe his parents wouldn't notice he was home and he could convince Sam and Tucker that his room was more interesting then the lab. However, this wishful and slightly delusional thinking didn't last long.

He had managed to get the three of them in the house quiet enough, but unaware of Danny's devious plan, Tucker closed the door with a loud thump. Danny winced at the sound and prayed no one heard.

"Is that you Danny-boy?" His Dad called up from the lab.

Danny sighed in defeat. "Yeah, it's me Dad." He paused and then noted as an afterthought: "And some friends from school." Perhaps mentioning they had company would somehow convey to his parents that they should at least try to act normal.

"Oh goodie. Bring them down! I want to show off my latest invention!" Well, that didn't work out like Danny hoped. It seemed his friends were going to see the lab after all, much to Danny's dismay.

His parents were in the same jumpsuits they always wore, comfortably standing amongst random pieces of their technology scattered around the lab. The lab was never clean, but when they were in the middle of a big project they used the entire floor as their construction zone. Regardless of the mess, Danny could see Sam and Tucker taking in the strange lab with eager curiosity. His parents stood in the middle of the room, beaming at the new weapon in their hands.

"Mom, Dad, this is Sam and Tucker," Danny introduced.

Maddie smiled. "Oh yes, we've met before. It's nice to see you again." There was a strange excitement in his mother's eyes that had nothing to do with the new weapon.

"You too Mrs. Fenton," Sam responded, still distracted with taking in her surroundings.

"It's good to see you're inviting friends over sweetie. I don't think I've met any of your friends since middle school. It's good to see you're fitting in to your new school this time!" Danny blushed deeply at her comments. Did she really have to say that around Sam and Tucker? They didn't need to know that they were the first real friends he'd had since the accident a year ago. Fitting into a new school had been hard enough without trying to keep all his limbs tangible. With everything he had to deal with last year, friends weren't the biggest priority.

Danny saw Sam looking at him with an amused expression on her face, which only made Danny turn even redder.

"What are you working on Mr. Fenton?" Tucker asked, diverting everyone's attention back to the weapon.

Danny's dad seemed to light up at the mention of his creation. "This bad boy is Fenton Ghost Grenade Launcher!" He held his work proudly, admiring it all over again. "The grenades explode on impact, but instead of just exploding it covers its target in special sticky goo we created. Isn't that cool?"

His mom smiled at her husband's enthusiasm. "The goo is a kind of anti-energy. When it comes in contact with an ectoplasmic entity it will absorb all its energy, therefore weakening the ghost."

"And once the ghost is weak and can't use its power then we can capture it!" His dad joined in.

Danny eyed the grenade launcher warily. Touching the goo did not sound like a fun experience and he didn't know if it would affect him in human form.

Tucker looked extremely interested as he approached the weapon to get a better look. "Does it work?"

"Of course it does!" Jack assured him confidently. Suddenly he frowned and continued, "Well, we haven't been able to test it out in the field yet… but I know it will work!" The lager man's face wore a proud grin once again.

"We already tested it out on the small samples of ectoplasm we have collected over the years. The results were about what we expected." Maddie clarified.

"Well, I hope it works, this town needs all the help it can get," Danny found himself saying. The hybrid was surprised with himself. Why would he want the weapon to work? It didn't make sense, especially since Danny Phantom would be on the receiving end of most of the new weapon's blasts. Despite this, however, he found himself hoping it wouldn't be another failure. The amount of ghosts coming out of the portal was getting larger every day and, like it or not, his parents really helped taking some of the burden of protecting the town off of his shoulders. When they weren't hunting him that is. But that wasn't the only reason Danny wanted the weapon to work. His parents put their heart and soul into every invention they create. When they come up with a new idea they spend months planning and calculating everything down to the smallest detail and their excitement only seems to grow when they start putting the pieces together. When an invention fails however… they're heartbroken. Danny could still clearly remember the looks on their faces when the Fenton portal, something they have been working on since their college days, failed to work. Their disappointment was one of the reasons Danny wanted to look into the portal in the first place, he wanted to see for himself what they had put so much time and energy into. This was the reason for entering the portal on that faithful day, that, and his own curiosity…

Danny hoped their invention would work, if only so his parents could continue to feel accomplishment after all their hard work. He knew how much ghost hunting means to them.

"Why do you say that sweetie?" His mother asked him curiously.

"He's talking about what happened in school today," Sam clarified, "there was a ghost attack."

"What!?" His two parents shouted at the same time.

"We didn't hear about any of this!" His mother seemed excited and worried at the same time.

"Aww, we told them to call us if there was an attack." His father pouted. He was obviously talking about the Guys in White who, despite what his father thought, didn't want anything to do with the Fentons.

"Are you kids okay, was anyone hurt?" Although she was a hunter, Maddie has very strong maternal instincts that lead her to be very protective, even over other people's kids.

"Everyone's fine," Danny assured her. "…except for the building," he amended.

"Yeah, it would have been a lot worse if Danny Phantom hadn't shown up and captured the ghost." Sam mentioned casually, but her eyes were hardened and defensive, clearly awaiting the ghost hunter's response to this.

Tucker groaned and Danny shifted uncomfortably. He couldn't help but smile a little bit though; it would have been uncharacteristic if Sam didn't give her honest opinion of the situation. It wasn't like her to let anyone silence her beliefs.

The two ghost hunters frowned at the mention of the ghost boy.

"Danny Phantom was there too?" His mother asked. She seemed to be deep in thought. "We never could figure that ghost out. He's different than the other, stronger and smarter, but it's more than that. I've never heard of a ghost pretending to be a hero. He fights the other ghosts under the guise of protecting people only to turn around and attack them the next day. Not that we're surprised at his treachery, in fact, we expect it. But it's strange that he still pretends to be the hero even though no one is buying the act." She shrugged. "Well, when we do manage to capture him hopefully we will get our answers. We almost had him a couple of days ago too…"

Danny noticed Tucker and Sam exchange uncomfortable glances.

The hybrid was surprised that Sam didn't argue further, but it seemed she understood what little good that would do.

"Well, regardless we're glad you're all okay. Ghosts are very dangerous and there seems to be more of them coming out of the portal than usual."

"But since there's so many it will be a perfect time to test out this baby." His father patted their new weapon affectionately. Maddie beamed in excitement as well.

"There will most likely be another ghost attack today Jack, we can test it out then, along with all our other inventions."

"What else have you been working on?" Tucker asked eager to learn about the other technology they created.

"Well, we were able to create more Specter Deflectors." His mother pulled out a couple of belts. "Do you remember this invention Danny?"

Danny nodded, trying not to make a face. He remembered this invention all too well.

"Our primary goal is to protect people and so we thought a couple more of these would be useful." His mother explained. "We also-"

"We finished the Fenton Rocket-launcher last week," Jack announced in his booming voice.

Maddie smiled kindly, "yes we did, but there are still a few bugs to work out."

Jack didn't seem to hear his wife. "I'll go get it!" He declared and then ran upstairs.

"Umm, where is he going?" Tucker asked.

"It's a pretty big invention, he probably put it in the weapons vault," Danny concluded.

Tucker turned to him, his eyes wide. "You guys have a weapons vault?"

Danny nodded.

It wasn't long before his Dad came back with the Fenton Rocket-launcher. While his father was explaining the weapon to Tuck Danny turned to find something more interesting to do. He had heard this explanation one too many times. He was very familiar with the weapon, and how to dodge its attacks as well.

Danny's attention landed on someone else. Sam was making her way towards the portal, which was closed and locked of course. She stopped in front of it and reached a hand out to touch the cold metal doors.

"So, this is where all the ghosts come from?" She asked, noticing him come up behind her.

"Yep, my parents just got it working a little over a year ago and ghosts have been coming out of it ever since."

"Wow, it's pretty incredible."

Danny shrugged, "eh, I guess."

She turned away from the portal to look up at him, "Come on Danny, a ghost zone? Aren't you curious?"

He smiled a little at her enthusiasm and let his gaze wonder back to the portal again. He knew what was behind those locked doors better than anyone here, and most of it wasn't friendly. But still… a doorway to another dimension in his basement? She was right, that was pretty incredible. He hadn't thought about the portal like that in a long time. Instead, he usually considers it more of a source of annoyance than amazement. But he hadn't always felt that way; he used to think it was cool, even when it didn't work. Back when he was curious and eager to look inside.

"You know what? Your right, it is pretty cool. I guess when you live with something for so long you forget what drew you to it in the first place." He looked up at the portal; the origin of _everything_. All the fear and pain he had to endure over the past year, the haunting loneliness, the weight of an impossible secret; it was all because of the Portal. Innocent curiosity lead him into the Portal that day, he wanted to know what lay on the other side, why his parents so enthralled. And because of this he had lost everything. That one simple decision changed his life forever, and he could never go back.

The portal worked after that, much to his parents surprise and delight. And even though Danny knew that the portal started working because he pushed the 'on' button inside, he couldn't shake the feeling… it was a ridiculous notion he knew, but it was like the portal needed him in order to work. It was almost as if in order for the two dimensions to cross unnaturally something had to be sacrificed. A balance had to be restored and he, the human child inside the machine, was the only solution. Or maybe he just over thinking everything. Maybe he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and the only reason he had these powers was because of a freak accident with even freakier results.

In the end it didn't matter. It didn't change what he is… whatever he is. Even he didn't know for sure. But being half dead was the best explanation, as impossible as that sounded. How else could you explain the ability to stop your heart and lungs one second, and then start them again the next? Damn, he really was a freak, and all because of the portal. But he felt no animosity towards the machine, or towards his parents who built it. Everything he had done had been his own foolish choice, even if he hadn't been completely aware of the consequences.

Sam was looking at the portal again. "Can you open it?" She asked, an eagerness and curiosity in her voice that reminded Danny how he felt a year ago.

Danny's mom laughed from behind them. "Of course we can't open it! That would be too dangerous. Ghosts already escape whether we have the doors locked or not, opening it would be an invitation."

Sam looked at the ghost hunter in confusion. "You mean you don't ever go inside?"

Maddie shook her head. "If it was just Jack and I then it would be different, but we have a family and responsibilities. Besides, there is really no need to since the ghosts come to us. Entering the ghost Zone would be too risky and we would have no idea what to expect."

Sam looked at the closed doors once again, "So no human has ever seen what it's like in there."

She was correct; no _human_ had ever seen the inside of the ghost zone. And Danny hoped it would stay that way. It is extremely dangerous for even him to visit. He couldn't imagine what it would be like for a human.

"Well, we did build the Specter Speeder so we could go." His mom pointed over to the corner of the lab where a large white cloth was draped over a strange looking vehicle. "But like I said, once the ghosts started coming out there was no reason for us to leave this world, and it wasn't worth the risk."

Sam looked like she was about to say something else when a loud beeping noise interrupted her. The three of them look behind them to see his Dad and Tucker staring at a beeping device on the ground. "Oops…" Jack muttered, looking sheepish.

"Everyone get down!" Maddie ordered while throwing herself behind a desk.

Before Sam could react Danny grabbed her hand and pulled her behind a large machine to avoid the fallen grenade's blast.

A second later there was a loud explosion followed by a sick 'plop' as green goo covered the entire lab. The room was silent then, all that could be heard was a thick dripping as the green substance trickle off the ceiling and onto the floor. Danny and Sam peeked their head over their source of cover and tried to hold back their laughter at what they saw.

Jack and Tucker stood frozen in the middle of the room completely covered in green goop, shocked looks on both their faces.

Tucker opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He tried again, but only strangled sounds left his throat. Finally he managed to gather his thoughts and say what he was thinking. "…Eeeewwww!"

Danny and Sam couldn't help it, they burst out laughing. Tears streamed down their faces and they had to lean on each other for support. The laughter eventually became painful, but the two teens couldn't seem to stop. Danny actually found himself wondering if anyone could die from laughter, the thought of dying in such a ridiculous way only made his giggling worse.

Tucker's eye's narrowed in annoyance. "Okay guys, I get it, ha ha Tucker looks ridiculous. Now can you stop laughing and HELP ME!?"

"S-sorry Tuck," Danny apologized through his laughter. "But you-"

"You should have seen your face!" Sam finished for him. Both of them started cracking up again at the memory.

Tucker crossed one slimy hand over the other. "Something tells me I'm going to be stuck like this for a while," he grumbled.

"Don't worry Tucker." Maddie approached him, trying not laugh herself. "It's not dangerous for humans and we'll get you cleaned up in no time."

"Madds!" Jack's voice boomed when he saw his wife. "Can you believe it worked? I told you the delayed timer was a good idea!" In his excitement he grabbed his wife and pulled her into a large hug.

"Jack, don't!" But it was too late. By the time Maddie pulled away she was already covered in green slime.

"Oops, sorry Maddie," Jack apologized, still grinning.

This only added to the two teen's laughter, but eventually it began to subside. Now that he could breathe properly again Danny took in huge amounts of oxygen to alleviate his screaming lungs. Once the dizzy feeling left and they could both see strait again, the two of them made their way towards the people covered in goo. At first they carefully picked their way across the slime covered lab, but eventually they had no choice but to walk on top of the green substance. Danny was very careful not to fall or allow any part of his skin to touch the goo. His shoes seemed to be protecting him so far.

"Seriously, are you okay Tucker?" Danny asked guiltily. He was used to stuff like this happening all the time, but Tucker wasn't.

Tucker crossed his arms and looked away. "Oh, are you two done laughing now?"

Danny nodded. Sam tried not to snicker as she nodded as well.

"Good… and I'm not okay, I mean look at this. I'm covered in green guck!" Tucker said crossly, but then something shifted in his features. "Although I might feel better if I had some ice cream and a soda… just a thought."

Danny's concerned face broke into a grin. Beside him, Danny heard Sam snort. "Always thinking about food," she muttered.

"I think we have some strawberry ice cream in the freezer." The black haired boy suggested, still not able to keep a smile off his features."

"That will do." Tucker nodded. "Oh, and a shower would help too!" He added as an afterthought.

Danny and Sam laughed as they headed towards the stairs into the kitchen. It would be best if they stayed out of the way while the other three got cleaned up. His parent's lab, however, would probably take a while to clean. The grenade had a large range and Danny took a mental note of how far it could spread, just in case.

Danny went first, climbing up the stairs, not realizing they too were also covered in green goop. He hadn't made it very far when his foot slipped and he fell backwards. Two hands gripped his shoulders and kept him from falling into the anti-ghost slime below.

"Geez Danny, walk much?" Sam asked, amusement laced in her voice.

He sighed in relief and then laughed lightly. "Thanks. I'm sort of a klutz," he explained.

She raised an eyebrow, a smirk on her lips. "No kidding," she remarked sarcastically. Danny blushed, remembering the first time he met Sam he had almost spilt her lunch tray on her shirt. "Come on, let's go see if you have any ice cream for his royal stickiness," Sam suggested.

As Danny continued towards the fridge he couldn't seem to stop smiling. He couldn't remember the last time he laughed that hard. His head still felt light, but it wasn't from the lack of oxygen. All his heavy thoughts, the worries that pledged him, were suddenly gone. He felt, for the first time in a long time, like he could _breathe _again. It was strange; he hadn't even realized he had been suffocating. Everything was suddenly clear and new, like he was seeing for the first time. It was a liberating feeling, and it reminded him of flying. No, it was better than flying.

* * *

The three of them of them sat comfortably in Danny's room. Danny was on the bed while the other two occupied the chair and bean bag. Tucker was now goo free and wearing sweatpants and a plain t-shirt Danny let him borrow while his clothes were in the wash. They all had ice cream except for Sam who opted for a piece fruit instead. Apparently she only ate soy ice cream, which Danny did not have.

They talked and laughed for a better part of an hour, but the three friends were quite unaware of the time. However, whether you pay attention to the clock or not, time still moves forward. Everything has its end, and nothing can stay the same forever, no matter how much Danny wished this moment would last. In this instant everything felt _right_. There was a content feeling in his gut that seemed to overpower all his worries and uncertainties. But how long would that feeling last? Sure he was having fun with Sam and Tucker now, but how long until the uncertainties about them came back? Yes, they were good friends and they liked him, but then again, they didn't really know him. They only liked the part of him Danny let them see, which was more than most saw, but it still wasn't the whole thing. They didn't really know him, but that wasn't their fault. It was his decision to keep his secret from them.

Did he trust them? No. Did he think they could understand? No. Did he think they could help? No. Did he want them to know?

Danny paused.

A second later his mind screamed, "No!" But he couldn't deny it; there had been a pause, although small. A part of him, a very tiny and yet fundamental part cried "yes!" He wanted to be known, to tell the truth. This was his nature. However, his survival was dependent upon keeping his secret, and the fear of what would happen if anyone found out was too great. And so that small fundamental part of him was buried and forgotten.

Even though Danny called them 'friends', was that really a correct name for them? He didn't trust them, couldn't fully relate to them, he didn't even _want_ to get that close to them. So how could his doubt and worry not return? It wasn't possible to continue feeling comfortable around them knowing he didn't really trust them. And in return, knowing their smiles and jokes were only meant for the simple Danny they knew, not for the real Danny that they could never accept. Soon he would start worrying about how to act around them, afraid he would do something that would make them leave. He would always be uncomfortable and wondering what they thought of him, just like he was with everyone else.

So if these feelings of doubt would return, then why hadn't they yet? Sam and Tucker were surprisingly cool with his parents, and maybe this was why he was feeling comfortable now, because everything had gone so well. Minus the exploding grenade of course. However, this feeling shouldn't last; it couldn't last, not with how fake his relationship was with the two of them. But despite everything, all the secrets he hid and the lies he told, their closeness didn't feel fake. It felt like he had friends, real friends, not just people he hung out with to look normal.

Suddenly, a strange thought occurred to him. Maybe it wasn't the situation that was making him feel comfortable, maybe it was _them_. It wasn't anything special they did or said; it was just them. Being with them, talking with them, this made all the difference. When he was walking home earlier today he remembered thinking that they were the only two people he didn't feel like a total freak around. He also realized that he put less effort in to acting normal when he was around them. These thoughts had come to him earlier today, but it wasn't until now did their significance finally sink in: Sam and Tucker made him happy. They made him laugh and feel like he belonged. He could be himself around them, or as much as possible without giving anything away. They were his friends. He actually had true friends. So what if they didn't know the whole truth? As long as they still liked the part of him they saw, he could live with that. Hell, he didn't know how he got along without them for so long. And now he needed them. He could never go back to how life was before; he couldn't be that lonely again.

And with that thought, the last of his worry about them fell away. He was going to try to stop worrying if they thought he was normal, because obviously they did if they were hanging around him. He hadn't scared them off yet so he was just going to stop worrying about it. Danny was just going to enjoy the fact that his friends accepted him, or at least the human version of him.

"So," Sam began, changing the conversation to a different topic. "Do you still wish that we never came to your house?"

Danny grinned. "No, I guess it wasn't _so_ bad…"

Sam smirked evilly. There was no way she was going to let him get away that easily. "Really? What happened to 'my parents aren't normal,' and 'I don't want to drag you guys into that'." She mocked.

Danny blushed, but was able to laugh some of his discomfort away. "Yeah, but none of that seemed to bug you guys. Not even Tucker, and he had an invention explode on him."

Tucker laughed. "Actually, after the warning you gave us I expected a lot worse to happen."

"So did I," Danny agreed, but for a different reason. His parents weren't the ones who surprised him. He thought Tucker and Sam would have come up with an excuse to leave long before now.

"I like your parents though," Tucker decided, "they're very… umm, energetic."

Sam nodded. "And they're doing what they love, which is more than a lot of people can say."

"Now I guess we know where Danny got his weirdness from," Tucker half teased.

Although it seemed like Tucker was joking, the comment hit a little too close to home for Danny's liking. "What weirdness?" He tried to keep is voice light.

"Come on man, you know, you're just different...." He trailed off, not knowing how else to describe it.

Danny looked over at Sam in confusion. "Tuckers right, you do a lot of weird things," she agreed.

"Like what?" He could feel his heart rate accelerating.

She shrugged. "Like how you disappear randomly, or suddenly go from shy to outgoing."

"You seem so normal in school, but then when we hang out together you're different. Sometimes you'll do stuff that is completely surprising. It's kinda funny actually." Tucker replied grinning.

"W-when did you guys start noticing this?" Danny stuttered. He knew their observation shouldn't come as such a surprise; he let his guard down with them way too often. However, they never seemed to notice. It seems they had been paying a lot more attention then he thought.

"I don't remember." Tucker shrugged. "I've gotten used to it. It's weird though, I don't think anyone else notices besides us. You just act differently around other people."

"Danny, are you okay? You look a little pale." Sam asked in concern.

"Y-yeah, of course, I'm fine." But Danny wasn't fine, his thoughts were racing and an aching dread clenched around his heart.

She continued to frown thoughtfully. "You know Danny, I'm glad you act the way you do, weirdness and all."

Danny blinked. "You are?" His thoughts slowed to a manageable rate as he listened to her next words.

"Sure, why should you be like everyone else? There's nothing wrong with being different."

His brow furrowed in confusion. He would give anything to be normal again, and here she was, telling him that there is nothing wrong with being different, that it was even a good thing. Maybe she had a point. Being different was okay… to a certain extent. Danny on the other hand, more than exceeded the 'weirdness' limit. However, there was something else to what she was saying.

Tucker and Sam knew he wasn't normal, something he feared every day of his life that someone would discover, and yet it didn't stop them from hanging out with him. In fact, they more than just accepting him, they _liked_ him this way. Perhaps more so than if he was boring and normal, though he doubted he had ever been normal. A smile graced his face as he remembered what he had promised himself just minutes ago: he would stop worrying about whether or not they thought he was normal. He made this promise because he wanted to continue to feel comfortable around them, and he figured they wouldn't be hanging around with him if they thought he was abnormal. But that was all shot out of the water during their last conversation. Surprising enough, Danny found that it didn't make a difference. So what if they knew he wasn't normal? If that didn't bother them, then why should he worry about it? The feeling of dread slowly loosened its grip on his heart.

"Thanks guys…" he said quietly, meeting their confused gazes.

"For what?" Tucker asked. They had no idea how much their simple words meant to him.

"For…" Danny thought before continuing. "For inviting yourself over to my house. I really needed it."

Tucker broke into a grin. "That's what best friends are for!"

Sam looked at him in surprise, but not in as much surprise as Danny.

"So we're best friends now, are we?" She asked, smiling a little at the idea.

Tucker shrugged. "What else would you call it? I mean we hang out after school almost every day."

"I do prefer hanging out with you two than my other friends at school. There just not good conversation. Actually… they're kind of boring." Sam admitted.

"Then why do you hang out with them?" Danny asked.

"Well, we have a lot in common." Tucker looked like he was about to interrupt. "And it's not because we're all Goths." Sam clarified, giving Tucker a hard look. "But they're just… not fun."

"That's because no one can compare to us, right Danny?"

"Oh yeah, we're a real riot." He rolled his eyes. "I guess you're right though, we are kind of like best friends."

"Not 'kind of like,' we are best friends, the three amigos, like the three musketeers. All for one and one for all!" He placed his hand in the middle. "Come on you guys."

Sam raised an eyebrow at the gesture. "You've got to be kidding me."

Tucker's grin didn't falter. "Nope, it will be great. Everyone put your hands in."

"I think I'll pass."

Tucker shrugged. "Your loss. Danny?"

"Oh, I would love to, but umm, it think I hear my mom calling me…" He joked, getting up to leave. He tried to keep a smile off his face, but he couldn't do it.

Sam, who was already cracking up, wasn't helping.

"Very funny guys." Tucker pouted, trying not to smile himself. "Fine, miss out, but I'm telling you, it would have been epic."

"Whatever you say Tucker," Sam appeased, rolling her eyes.

There was a knock at the door and the three of them turned towards it.

"Come in," Danny told whoever was on the other side.

"Hey Danny, are you-" Jazz came prancing in, only to stop suddenly when she realized the room held an extra two people. "Oh, hey Sam, hey Tucker." Jazz had always been really good with names and Danny wasn't surprise she knew who his two friends were.

"Hey Jazz," Sam greeted.

"I didn't know we had company." His sister admitted, looking amused. "Have you met our parents yet?"

"Oh, we've met." Tucker assured her. "I hope all the goo comes out of my clothes…"

Jazz looked confused and Danny just laughed. "Don't ask."

"Are your friends going to be staying for dinner then?"

"Umm, what's mom making?" Danny asked cautiously. He wasn't going to make Sam and Tucker eat something that had some anti-ghost chemical in it.

Jazz laughed, knowing what he was thinking. "Don't worry, I'm going to make sure mom doesn't put anything weird in it that brings the food to life… again. And I know how their anti-ghost stuff, umm, upsets your stomach."

Danny looked at her in confusion, but didn't say anything. He had never told Jazz the anti-ghost ingredients thier mom puts in the food every once in a while had any effect on him. He was sure it would, if he ever tried to ingest it, but he always pretended he wasn't hungry when he saw the food was glowing. But why would she say something like that? Whatever the reason, Danny was glad Jazz was watching out for him, even if it was because of a misconception.

"So guys, what do you say? Want to stay for dinner?" Danny asked turning to his two friends. He found himself hoping they would say yes.

"Sure. I'll have to call my parents though," Tucker agreed.

"That sounds good, but… what are you having exactly?" Sam asked cautiously.

Danny knew what she was thinking. "Don't worry, I'll tell my mom you're a… umm, what did you call it again?"

"An ultra-recyclo vegetarian." She crossed her arms over her chest proudly.

Danny grinned. "Right, that." Danny stood up. "I'll be right back."

He left the room with his sister intending to go down stairs and tell him mom his friends were staying for dinner. He knew she wouldn't mind.

"So what did you come upstairs to tell me in the first place?" Danny asked her absentmindedly.

"Hmm? Oh, it wasn't important… so Sam and Tucker." She smiled secretively. "You're getting pretty close to them huh?"

Danny shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"I'm glad little brother, you didn't have many friends last year and I read in my developmental psychology book that it is important for teens to have contact with others from their own age group. Contact with their peers improves social skills and helps teens discover their own individuality."

Danny rolled his eyes and groaned. "Jazz, don't turn this into one of your sessions, I'm not your project," Danny said in annoyance. He did not need his sister analyzing him.

"I didn't say you were Danny. I'm just trying to look out for you and give you some advice."

"What advice Jazz?" They were at the bottom of the stairs now and Danny hoped he could end the conversation quickly.

Jazz stopped walking and unfortunately Danny felt like he should do the same. They turned to look at each other. "Just… don't push them away, okay?"

His brows furrowed in confusion. "I don't-"

Jazz sighed. "Yes Danny, you do. You've been doing it a lot lately, even with your family."

The boy avoided her gaze.

"Just promise me you'll give Sam and Tucker a chance, you need them Danny." Her serious blue eyes bore into him and he couldn't look away.

Finally, he managed to break the gaze. "Yeah sure, whatever Jazz, but I still think you spend way too much time reading your psychology books."

Jazz sighed once again, but didn't press the mater. "Come on, I think moms in the kitchen."

Danny nodded and followed her silently, but little did Jazz know her words were still playing through his head.

Please don't forget to review and tell me what you thought. How was the fight scene? I haven't done one in a while. And Sam and Tucker will be finding out really really soon. I am very excited for that!


	4. The Game

Oh man you guys, I'm really sorry this took so long, but introducing two characters was more of a hassle then I thought it would be. At first I wasn't going to include one of the characters, but after I thought about it I realized that the story wouldn't feel right without her.

Also, you guys are going to really hate me for the ending. I didn't want a cliffhanger, but it was necessary to set up for the next chapter. The next chapter is the one a lot of you have been waiting for by the way. And is also the one I've been dying to write. Good news though! It's more than half way done and it is really long.

Thank you guys for all your reviews! They are absolutely wonderful! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Oh, and please note that the first couple of scenes take place on the same day as the last chapter, but when you get back to Casper High it's two weeks later. I do mention this in the chapter; I just want to make sure it's clear. The only reason this happened was because the last chapter was getting way too long.

Disclaimer: I do not own DP

**Chapter 4 The Game**

The King stands, cloaked in darkness, waiting to make his first move. He surveys the soon to be battle field, but although he is eager to enter, he pushes these emotions aside. Logic would be the key to this battle. As the King appraises his troops, he knows all the choices he has and which ones would yield the best result. Priceless years of experience had been his teacher, a teacher of which his enemy knew nothing.

His enemy, as white and innocent as recently fallen snow, is naïve to the ways of battle in which he was about enter and cocky towards his dark opponent. This was his flaw. His youthful energy serves no purpose in a battle of logic and wit.

The dark King smiles, this is almost too easy. But no matter how eager the wise King is to win and claim rightful his prize, he waits. He waits, and plans. He knows where he will position his troops- some may be sacrificed, but this is for the greater good.

His lighter opponent knows little of waiting, or of strategy. His pale troops are unorganized and his opponent can't control them, he can't manipulate them. He makes mistakes, moves too quickly too early, while the patient King waits in the shadows, observing silently until it is his turn.

After all, in chess, white moves first.

Just recently his opponent had made his first move, and now it is his turn. As predicted his rival's actions had been careless, presenting him with an opportunity from a very unlikely source. Knights and bishops are powerful and can do much, but one must never forget the effectiveness of a well placed pawn.

A hand reaches out over the black and white landscape until it reaches the furthest of his dark troops. Confident of his move, Vlad Master picks up picks up his first piece, a black pawn, and moves it two squares forward. The Dark King's plan has been set in motion.

* * *

The billionaire really hadn't expected such a brilliant opportunity to just fall into his lap like it had yesterday. He had been on a tour of his latest purchase, Axion Labs, when his newest plan unfolded before his eyes. His company, well, one of his companies, Vladco, had recently bought the research lab. Everything was his, from the top secret research to the lowliest of janitors.

His tour guide was Head of Security, a man by the name of Damon Gray. Vlad knew Damon even though he had never laid eyes on the man before today. He had met many men not unlike Mr. Gray, however, not one of them stood out in his memory. Damon was not a man built for greatness. The only rule he had was over the few men who worked beneath him. Still, Damon had worked hard all his life to get in the position he was in now, to be making the money he was now, which was a lot more than most. Damon Gray may be a hardworking man, but he was not a smart man.

Vlad was sure he was intelligent when it came to facts and figures. After all, Damon had to understand how all the technology worked in the new security system. However, there was much more to the world Damon did not understand, and would never understand, which was why he was the employee and Vlad was his boss.

Damon had assured his new boss that this was the most secure facility in the United States, but this interested Vlad very little. The security was irrelevant; the research he was briefed on was pointless. In a few months Vlad would have this place completely turned around into what he needed it to be: a facility for the newest research in ghost technology. And in a town struggling with its recent ghost attacks, his technology would be invaluable. If he made his research, and therefore his own presence, a necessary commodity to the town then there was much he could accomplish.

"I see, very impressive Damon."

"Thank you Sir. Allow me to personally assure you complete safety for your future research here at Axion."

Vlad raised an eyebrow at the guarantee. "You have a lot of confidence in this facility."

"Oh, yes sir. I personally oversaw the new security measures we put in last year. Before I came in this place's best defenses were its guard dogs." The man laughed lightly. "Could you imagine?"

"Indeed," Vlad noted with little interest. Damon realized Vlad was not laughing and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"I have shown you the most important parts of this facility. If there is anything else you wish to see-"

Most of the scientists were hard at work on their experiments, and not many were wondering the halls where the two men stood talking. Therefore, it was a surprise when the steel door to their right opened upward. A dark-skinned teenage girl walked towards them, completely unfazed by the two guards following behind her.

"Hi daddy," she greeted a little too sweetly, giving Vlad the impression that she wanted something from her father.

"Hi honey." Damon leaned over and gave her a kiss on her head. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to the mall with your friends?"

"I am, but I wanted to ask you something first," she began, but her attention was brought to the new man beside her father.

Noticing her curious gaze, Damon answered her unasked question. "Valerie, I would like you to meet Mr. Masters. His company is the new owner of Axion."

Valerie's curious look turned to one of confusion. "All of it?" Usually many different companies owned a share of Axion and each company had their own research projects. It was very unusual for one company to own the entire facility.

"Yes my dear girl. My work will become very important and it requires the entire facility. Besides, I was never very good at sharing," he answered with a charming smile. However, Valerie continued to frown.

"What are you working on?" she asked casually.

"Valerie, that is Mr. Master's business not ours," Damon reminded her, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder.

Valerie's eyebrow's furrowed as she looked up at her father. "You're guarding his research and you don't even know what it is?"

Vlad smirked at the girl's observation. She was smart, that was for sure. She had a better understanding of how the world worked then her submissive father did.

"If it's doesn't affect how I do my job then no, I don't need to know."

"Well I do," Valerie stated boldly, turning to look at her father's new boss expectantly.

Vlad chuckled at the sight of the young girl's determined expression and her father's hesitant one. Valerie was certainly brave and almost disconcertingly strait forward. She wasn't the type to play games. Vlad on the other hand, loved games.

"Quite all right Damon, I don't mind. You see, it all started a year ago when ghosts began to plague our world. I noticed there was a distinct lack of competent ghost hunters along with the necessary technology to provide protection. And since the Ghost Portal was moved to Amity Park I decided this would be the best place to develop proper technology against the ghost threat," Vlad answered smoothly. In a few months billionaire Vlad Masters would be recognized for providing protection for the citizens of Amity Park in a way no one else could. This would put on excellent terms with the citizens of the small town, which was exactly what he needed for his plan to commence.

"What about the Fenton's and the Guys in White?" Valerie asked, "Isn't it their job to protect people against ghosts?"

Vlad scoffed. "The Guys in White are who the government sends in to give the illusion of protection. As for the Fenton's… two people is not enough to protect a whole town, not to mention the world. What I hope to offer is protection for everyone. Portable ghost shields in every house, ghost alarms built into the schools to keep children safe-"

"Yeah, that would have been useful for today," Valerie noted morbidly.

Damon's brow creased in worry at his daughter's comment. "Valerie? Did something happen in school today?"

Realizing her mistake, Valerie tried to wave off her father's concern. "It wasn't a big deal Daddy. A ghost attacked my classroom, but no one got hurt."

This assurance did little to calm her father. Before Vlad could blink Damon was on his knees next to his daughter, looking directly into her eyes. "Are you okay honey? Did the ghost come after you?"

Valerie avoided his gaze. "No…"she began carefully, but Valerie realized her hesitation had already given her away. "Not at first at least," she admitted.

Damon gasped and grasped his daughter's shoulders as if afraid she would suddenly collapse after a traumatic event like that. Vlad on the other hand, thought she looked like she was doing pretty well, better than most do after a ghost attack actually.

"What happened? Are you sure you're not hurt?" Damon asked, checked her over for injuries. The man looked pathetic as he helplessly begged his daughter to tell him everything that happened.

Suddenly Valerie's hesitant look became one of frustration and anger. "They think they can do whatever they want!" she growled. Damon blinked at her change in attitude. "She didn't do anything to the ghost and it just attacked her, out of nowhere! Of course I couldn't just let it hurt her, I had to do something. Star is one of my best friends!"

Damon groaned, his eyes pleading. "Valerie, you didn't!"

Vlad watched the scene unfold with interest. Had this young girl actually…

Valerie smiled, a little embarrassed. "I guess wooden chairs don't really work on ghosts, but at least I got its attention off Star."

Damon looked defeated somehow, probably because he realized how close he had come to losing his daughter today. "Valerie…" was all he could say at first. After a few seconds he seemed to calm down and regain his ability speak again. "Valerie, I know you're a 9th degree black belt, but you have to understand, you can't go around fighting ghosts, they're not like people-"

The young girl's eye's hardened and her fists clenched. "Oh, I know they're not like people," she assured him, her voice rigid and dangerous. "They don't belong here. I wish I could send them all back where they came from." Unexpectedly, the girl's cold gaze flicked up to Vlad. "I'm glad your research will help protect people against ghosts. This town needs all the protection it can get from those _things._"

Before now Vlad never thought the young girl's voice could contain so much hatred. "I'm glad you approve Miss Gray." Vlad answered coolly. His thoughts, however, were elsewhere. He was concentrating on not what the girl had said, but how passionately she said it.

If what Vlad had heard was true, then this young girl took on a ghost with no more than a wooden chair and her martial arts skills. It was a miracle she was alive, although if his hunch was correct she didn't survive on her own ability. Even the most talented ghost hunter stood no chance against a ghost without a proper ghost hunting weapon. Still, the fact she was_ willing _to challenge a ghost even though she knew she couldn't win made her act remarkable. Remarkable, but at the same time it was extremely foolish. Valerie struck him as a very intelligent girl, so why would she do something as dim-witted and dangerous as that? However, Vlad already knew the answer, for Valerie wasn't the only talented protector he knew that put their emotions before reason.

Looking down at the girl who was currently trying to comfort her father, Vlad weighed his options. A plan was swiftly coming together in his head and he a wanted to make sure the risks involve were minimum.

Valerie was a talented fighter, already knowing how to take care of herself in a battle. More importantly, she was brave, able to stand her own against a monster that could easily rip her to shreds. As a bonus, her age made her naïve and easily manipulated. She already bore a deep hatred towards ghosts, so Vlad wouldn't have to waste time imprinting that notion into her head. The best part, however, was her loyalty. She was obviously very protective over her own kind, especially her friends. If Vlad could win her loyalty and trust then he would have the perfect pawn.

Well, nearly perfect. The only problem was her intelligence. Pawns were easier to manipulate when they didn't think for themselves. Valerie, he noted, would give him difficulty in that respect. She had a very strong will coupled with plenty of commonsense… a dangerous combination. However, there was one surefire way to erase all that. He could already tell Valerie was a very emotional girl. She was hotheaded and easily riled up, and as Vlad had learned, this can make her act irrationally. All he had to do was learn how she ticked. What made her angry? And what was the most important thing she wanted to protect? Once he stabilized her loyalty, motive, and then gave her an emotional drive, there would be no stopping his new weapon.

His plan seemed perfect, but it was going to take a lot of work. After all, to become a proper ghost hunter took years of hard work. However, Vlad had a feeling she was a quick learner.

"How did you escape Valerie?" Her father asked hesitantly, as if he wasn't sure if he wanted to know, but at the same time felt compelled to ask.

"You know that ghost that is on TV all the time, Danny Phantom? He showed up and started a fight with the other ghost. Our classroom was completely destroyed because of whatever grudge Phantom had. While the two ghosts were fighting we were able to escape," Valerie explained.

Vlad smirked, his hunch had been correct about how Valerie managed to survive. There was one last question lingering in the back of Vlad's thoughts, and before he went any further in planning Valerie's new career, he had to ask.

"If you would care to enlighten me Miss Gray, what is your opinion towards Danny Phantom?"

The young girl frowned. "You mean like how Phantom used to say he was trying to protect the town? I thought it was obviously a lie. Ghosts are just negative emotions right? So it's not like he feels pity nor has a reason to protect humans. He's a dangerous ghost who is obsessed with fighting, even if it's against his own kind. People were just stupid enough to think that meant he was on our side. No one thinks that anymore, right?" Valerie asked, slightly disturbed by the idea of humans siding with Phantom.

"Of course not my dear girl, we know too much about ghosts to make that same mistake again. I was merely curious is all."

Valerie's eyes widened as if she suddenly remembered something and looked down at her watch. "It's getting late; I told Paulina and Starr I would meet them at the mall soon." She turned to her father. "Daddy, can I borrow your credit card?"

So the real reason for Valerie's appearance came to light. Vlad had a feeling it was something like that.

"Well, alright honey, just be careful okay?" Damon pleaded, obviously still thinking about the ghost attack.

"I will! Thanks Daddy!" She took the card and kissed her father on the cheek. She turned to address Vlad. "It was nice meeting you Mr. Masters."

"The pleasure's all mine. Take care of yourself now."

"You too, bye!" She quickly walked to the door, taking no notice of the security following her.

Valerie had everything she could ever want, money, popularity, looks. She was obviously spoiled by her father, and it was doubtful she experienced any real horrors in her life. But despite her pampered lifestyle and lack of experience Vlad sense potential in her: raw talent combined with strength of will. And Vlad knew exactly how to bring it out of her.

* * *

"Alright class, now that you have your instructions you can pick your lab partner and get to work."

It had been months since school first started and they had only just begun the hands-on part of Chemistry. It wouldn't have been so bad if their teacher had actually assigned them an interesting lab to complete today. _At least were not dissecting frogs in this class, that's one thing to be grateful for,_ Sam thought to herself, her chin resting idly on her hand.

She saw the shadow of someone walking up to her, but didn't look up until they spoke. She recognized the voice instantly.

"Hey," Danny greeted her, a small smile on his lips. "Lab partners?" he asked hopefully.

Smirking slightly, she moved her backpack off the seat next to her. The boy recognized this as an invitation and sat down.

After quickly skimming the instructions she turned her attention back to him. "You fill the up beakers and I'll get the equipment set up?" she asked, already plugging in the Bunsen burner.

"Umm…" Danny's hesitation made her pause and raise an eyebrow.

The boy grinned sheepishly at her, "maybe I shouldn't handle the beakers... I'm kinda a liability with those things."

"How do you know? Bad experience one time?"

"Try thirty-four separate times." He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. Sam notice he did that action a lot, and every time he did Sam felt a familiar pull, like he reminded her of someone, but she could never remember who. "I was banned for life from handling any fragile school property at my old school. Of course, I think I would do better _now_, but I'd rather not risk it."

Sam laughed at this, and even Danny chuckled a little at his own story. "Geez Danny, you really are a klutz." She sighed. "But I guess it can't be helped. I'll get the chemicals for the beakers and you set up the equipment- try not to blow anything up," she joked.

When she came back Danny had the equipment ready and everything they needed out.

"So, why do you think you would do better with the beakers now then you did last year?" she asked casually, remembering the comment he made a few seconds ago.

"Huh? Oh, umm, y-you know, a little older a little wiser?" he answered, laughing nervously and avoiding her eyes.

His whole sentence came out awkwardly; it obviously hadn't been what he initially meant. Sam raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't push for a real answer. She was used to this happening every once in a while. The three of them would be talking about something and out of the blue Danny would get nervous and secretive. It was just something Sam and Tucker accepted about their best friend, knowing full well they might never find out why he acted this way. Even though they were close friends and they knew a lot about each other, Sam knew there were some things Danny kept to himself. She didn't see anything wrong with that, everyone had their secrets, even her.

"Right. Why don't we start on step one?" she prompted.

Danny instantly relaxed when he realized she was accepting his lame excuse and wasn't pushing for more. "Umm, okay." He looked down at their instructions, his brow wrinkling in confusion. He raised his hand out to the equipment and then hesitated; seeming to change his mind, Danny retracted his hand. After another second of rereading the directions Danny extended his hand again, only to bring it back once more. Sam watched this process one more time before Danny seemed to give up and turn to her. "…why don't you start?" he suggested, pushing the instructions in her direction.

She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to stifle a laugh. "What's the matter Danny? I thought all the Fentons were pros when it came to science?" She teased lightly, already knowing full well Danny was very different from his family in a lot of respects, science being one of them.

Danny just laughed good-naturedly. "I guess you can say the Fenton genius gene stopped at my sister," he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck again.

Once more, the familiarity of Danny's mannerism struck something deep inside Sam's memory, but this time an image accompanied the feeling, and she finally discovered where she recognized the gesture from. It had been around three weeks since Tucker and Sam had helped Phantom escape, but the memory was still fresh in her mind. She remembered Phantom thanking them, how he admitted he never expected anyone to come to his rescue. He had rubbed his neck nervously, _exactly_ like Danny was doing now. And not only did Phantom and Danny have the same mannerism, but they looked alike as well. It was eerie how similar their facial structures were. However, even though they had a lot of similarities, they had just as many differences, probably more. The most prominent being their personalities. The way they acted was completely opposite from each other…_ except when they're nervous_, Sam reminded herself.

The more Sam thought about it, the more she realized how strange it was to be comparing the ghost boy to her best friend. A lot of people rubbed their neck in awkward situations; did Danny really look that much like Phantom that she thought of the teenaged ghost before anyone else? They really didn't look that much alike. Phantoms pure white hair made it so, even though they had a similar facial structure, he really didn't look like Danny at all. And his glowing green eyes… but Sam stopped, remembering how human those eyes could be, especially when they were full of fear. And Danny Fenton wasn't as carefree as he acted. Sam had seen his eyes take on a haunted look more than once. As strange as it sounded, Sam thought Phantom and Danny had very similar eyes as well.

"That's okay; if you knew my parents then you wouldn't think it was possible I share any DNA with them at all," she assured him, turning back to the task they were given.

After explaining the instructions to him, the two friends started the experiment. Sam instructed Danny through the whole lab, and he wasn't as terrible as he led her to believe. Plus, not a single beaker was broken.

The two of them were the last group to finish, but that was probably because they spent most of the time talking. She blamed Danny for getting them off track: his laugh was extremely contagious. Not that it mattered; she could care less about their experiment. Even if they hadn't managed to complete the lab, getting an 'F' would have been worth it. She had never actually enjoyed science class before.

And Danny… he had been acting really different lately. He always had a smile on his face and was optimistic about everything. When Sam had first met him, Danny always looked like he was worrying about something, like he had an immense weight on his shoulders. But now, if the burden was still there, it was no longer bothering him like it used to. Sam noticed this change in Danny about two weeks ago, around the time the school had its first major ghost attack with the gigantic lizard. It was also the same day Tucker and she went over to Danny's house for the first and only time. Sam liked the new change to his demeanor; she enjoyed seeing her best friend so carefree.

It was strange to think that they had only been friends for only about three weeks. Already she felt like she had known Danny her entire life. They just clicked; Danny, Tucker, and her.

The bell rung and the class filed out into the hallway.

"Ready for lunch?" Danny asked her, a cheerful smile on his face.

She rolled her eyes at the question. "What would you do if I said 'no'?"

He paused, thinking about it. "… I'd probably assume you were kidding. At least I hope you would be. How could someone not be ready for lunch?"

"Then why did you even bother asking?" she teased.

He tilted his head to the side, thinking about it. "Hmm, I don't know… standard question?" he offered, making her grin.

"Fair enough."

Sam had been sitting with Danny and Tucker at lunch for a while now. The two boys had slowly started to break away from Tucker's friends about the same time Sam started to eat with them. The separation from the Tucker's friends happened either because Tucker and Danny were getting annoyed by their constant questions about ghosts and ghost hunters, or because the geeks were afraid of Sam. Most likely it was a combination of both.

Sam doubted the friends she used to hang out with even noticed she was gone. But then again, they barely noticed much of anything. Their philosophy was: life is meaningless, so why give a shit? They cared about absolutely nothing. Sam purposely hung out with the Goths instead of the popular crowd in order to find something real, something genuine that wasn't shallow. But she was starting to realize the gloomy wannabes weren't that different from popular ones.

So Danny, Sam and Tucker started to sit together, and slowly they began to distance themselves from everyone else. It wasn't a big deal; they could still see their other friends in class. And for some reason, the trio found themselves preferring it this way. Away from the drama and the pressures their peers, the three of them were free to be themselves, comfortable enough with each other to say whatever came to mind. There was no fear of being judged, there was just _peace_, which came from a deep unexplainable bond. None of them had ever had that before.

* * *

Danny led Sam to the table Tucker was sitting at, the one that the three of them sat at every day for the past two weeks. A lot has changed since he first came to this school, a lot more than he ever thought possible. Every morning he woke up smiling, because the night before he had actually dreamt, not suffered through hazy nightmares that he could never fully remember, but had an actual ghost-free dream. And when he had to fight ghosts during the day he found himself whistling tunelessly to himself as he sucked his enemy into the Fenton thermos. At night, after his patrol of the city, he made his way to the Ops center to look at the stars. This was something he hadn't done since the accident, but he was never sure why he stopped, or what made him start again. He was just looking at things differently now, the future no longer seemed so bleak and lonely. However, Danny wasn't completely clueless, he had an idea of who was responsible for his change in attitude, and they were sitting next to him now.

Danny had many different friends before; he may have always been a shy kid, but he was friendly and made friends with little difficulty. It was only after he gained his ghost powers did he purposely stop himself from getting close to anyone. He had friends, sure, but he never shared anything personal with them, or let them see anything that wasn't on the surface. He went from being a relatively open and trusting kid, to being suspicious and secretive.

However, with Sam and Tucker it was the complete opposite. When he was with them he was practically an open book, which in his case, was dangerous. Somehow though, the rewards were too great to spend time worrying about the risks. And he had considered it- telling them his biggest secret, something so precious to him that he would risk his life to protect. It was a tempting idea, because if sharing his thoughts and becoming close to them had made him feel this good, then telling them the entire truth could permanently keep him from ever being alone again…or it could destroy his life forever. The fear attached with telling them the truth was so deep and so strong he knew he would never be able to do it. He couldn't bear the thought of his friends rejecting him. He couldn't see the look of disgust and fear on their faces that would surely be there if they knew. He cared too much about his friends to have them hate him, and he needed them to care about him too. In the end, he didn't trust them to accept him for what he was. So, for as long as he lived he would do everything in his power to stop them from finding out the truth.

"So what are we going to do after school today?" Sam asked, looking from Danny to Tucker.

Tucker answered before Danny could. "Well, my parents our out of town, something about visiting an old friend, and they won't be back until late tomorrow so I have the house to myself. You guys should come over; maybe we should invite a whole bunch of people and throw a party!"

"Nice, but who would come to a party thrown by us? We are at the bottom of the social grape vine. The freaks and geeks of the school." To anyone else this would be a bad thing, but Sam sounded almost proud.

Tucker deflated a little. "True. It must be the people I hang out with; you too are bringing my coolness level down."

"You're assuming you even had a coolness level in the first place," Sam deadpanned, making Danny laugh and Tucker scowl.

"Come on Sam, I think Tucker has a good idea, it would be fun to throw a party." Danny reasoned.

Sam nodded thoughtfully, "yeah, that would be awesome, especially if we could hire a DJ…"

"Whoa Sam, come on, none of us are made out of money here." Tucker stopped her before she could carry that idea any further.

"Well, maybe I can bring my music and Sam can bring hers and we can-" A cold shiver crept up Danny's spine and cut off his words.

His two friends looked at him curiously.

"Can-can you guys excuse me for a second?" he covered up his stutter while excusing himself at the same time.

Sam smirked and rolled her eyes. "What for this time Danny? Wait no, don't tell us. You had too much to drink and now you have to run to the bathroom?"

Tucker shook his head. "No, he used that one a few days ago. I think the excuse is the hotdog he ate went bad and he's feeling sick so he has to go to the nurse."

"Or maybe he forgot something in class and he has to get it only to come back a half an hour later out of breath and without whatever he forgot." Sam supplied with a grin. Her and Tucker were having way too much fun coming up with excuses for him. As close as they were, his friends easily notice all the flimsy excuses he gave them each day before randomly disappearing for long periods of time. It seems they had turned them into a game.

"Seriously, what's the excuse this time dude?"

Danny had gaped at them at first, but since they didn't seem mad at knowing he lied to them all the time, he allowed himself a little laugh, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Honestly, I hadn't thought of one, will you take a rain check?"

Tucker seemed to consider this for a second and then he agreed. "Okay, but we expect two excuses next time."

Danny laughed. "Okay deal, I'll be right back."

"Try not to take all lunch period like usual!" he heard Tucker call after him. And then, because of his enhanced hearing he heard Tucker say to Sam, "told you he would disappear today at lunch. Man, I need to start betting you!"

Danny shook his head at his friend's behavior. Did he get lucky or what? He didn't know of anyone else who would let their friend lie to them and then disappear at random intervals during the day without even asking him what he was up to. Not once had Sam and Tucker questioned him about it, and after their short conversation a few seconds ago Danny realized it wasn't because they hadn't noticed. They knew he was keeping a secret from them, but they didn't push him about it, or try to figure it out. They just accepted it as a part of him, simple as that.

Danny found an unlocked janitors closet and mentally cheered at his good luck. Once transformed, Danny Phantom flew invisibly out of the school, looking for the ghost. He became visible again and paused, listening for the sound of screams, but nothing gave him an indication to where the ghost was.

"Looking for someone whelp?" An amused voice asked behind him before something metal slammed into his back, sending him hurtling towards the ground.

He landed with at thump, too dazed to realize he should have gone intangible. He opened his eyes to see the blurred shape of Skulker heading straight for him. Trying to get his thoughts in order, Danny allowed himself to phase into the ground beneath him, hoping Skulker would have a harder time getting to him. He reemerged to find Skulker waiting, the hunter knew full well that Danny would never back down from a fight, especially not when innocent people could get hurt.

Danny crossed his arms, an annoyed look on his face. "Didn't I just beat you and send you back to the Ghost Zone yesterday? You really think you're up for another beating so soon?" the half ghost asked smugly.

"You won't be so cocky once you've had a taste of what I've prepared for you this time." That was Skulker, always making promises about the superiority of a new weapon or upgrade, not that they ever helped him much.

"Can we just get this over with? I really don't want to miss the entire lunch period."

Skulker's eye's narrowed. "That should be the least of your worries whelp." With that last threat Skulker lunged, effortlessly withdrawing guns from his suit and lunching missiles at his target.

A loud explosion rattled the air, shaking the nearby buildings. Screams of panic erupted from the school, and the students who were eating outside either fled or took cover inside the building. Luckily, Skulker's blast had only hit the ground and had left the buildings untouched. Danny had taken to the ground at the last second to avoid the dangerous missiles.

Not even waiting for the smoke to clear, Danny shot himself forward, and caught Skulker off guard with a direct punch to the jaw. He could hear the metal crack in Skulker's suit at the same time pain shot through his knuckles and up his arm. Absentmindedly, Danny flexed his fingers. Had he been human a punch like that into solid metal would have broken his hand, as it were, he would only receive some small bruising that would disappear in a couple of hours.

Skulker launched another set of missiles at him, which he also dogged. And then there came another set, and another… Usually Skulker would run out of heavy duty missiles after a while and would switch to ray guns. It seemed Skulker was serious about having something special prepared for him. It wasn't that Danny was getting hurt, he was too quick for his opponent, but it took a lot of energy to constantly dodge attacks like this. When was Skulker going to run out of ammo? With the rapid firing Danny wasn't able to find an opening in which he could retaliate. He considered using a shield, but those took up a lot of energy, and he didn't know how well it would hold up against these new smaller, but much more powerful missiles.

Danny tried heading for the air, hoping that there would be more room to maneuver and he wouldn't have to worry about Skulker's missiles taking out any people or buildings. However, Skulker seemed to sense what he was trying to do, and he changed his tactics so the only way Danny could avoid his shots were if he stayed closer to the ground. Unfortunately for Danny, this trapped him between the buildings he was trying to protect and the ground.

Frustrated, Danny yelled up to his opponent, "didn't anybody ever tell you not to play with guns?"

Skulker chuckled, obviously having a good time, "no one would dare."

Fatigue was setting in and Danny's movements were sluggish; definitely not a good sign. Danny still didn't understand where all Skulker's new ammo was coming from. He must have had a huge upgrade, but he had just fought Skulker yesterday and the hunter didn't have all these new toys then. So how did he get them so fast? Knowing he didn't have the strength to continue dodging, Danny prepared himself to turn around and fight him head on. The chances of him not getting shot were slim, but he didn't have much of a choice.

Disappearing from the visual spectrum to give himself an edge, Danny changed course, flying directly at Skulker. He managed to avoid two blasts, both of them near misses. Patiently, he waited until he was close enough to Skulker before firing a blast of his own, regrettably giving away his position, but successfully hitting his target.

Skulker growled in frustration and pain, eyes flashing hatefully at his prey. Danny didn't waste any time as he prepared another ecto-blast. Instead of raising his weapon again like Danny expected, Skulker charged directly for the half ghost, and Danny didn't have time to get out of the way. So instead, the young ghost fired, hoping the blast would be strong enough to knock Skulker off his course. Unexpectedly, Skulker raised his missile launcher at the last second and fired as well. Missile and ecto-blast collided in a cloud of bright light and smoke. Before Danny realized what was happening, Skulker appeared out of the explosion, having not altered his course at all. Gaining more speed every second, the hunter slammed into the half ghost, and then the two of them crashed into the back of the school. When Danny opened his eyes he found himself on the ground, propped up against the back of Casper High. No one was around, which was good because the fight wasn't going so well, and he couldn't protect himself and other people right now.

He didn't see Skulker until he was grabbed and pinned up to the wall by his hulking form. "Where's that cocky attitude of yours now whelp? Did you really think you could run from the Ghosts Zones Greatest Hunter for long?" Danny could hear the cruel smile in his voice. Everywhere hurt, especially his head. His vision was blurry and he couldn't focus.

Skulker retracted his arm as a glistening blade emerged from his armor. Real fear broke through Danny's foggy thoughts as he realized what would happen next. The young ghost clenched his teeth. He wasn't going to give up; he wasn't going to give Skulker the satisfaction of beating him this way.

Skulker just smirked. "I win." In one swift motion the hunter brought the blade to Danny's stomach. Using the last of his strength, Danny kicked Skulker as hard as he could, forcing the hunter backwards and to release his grip on Danny. The half ghost fell down a few feet, but the blade still went forward.

Danny screamed as the blade entered his left shoulder. Pain burned his nerves as the blade tore at muscle, destroying soft tissue. In that moment he forgot who he was, all he knew was the burning sensation in his shoulder. His strength seemed to seep out of him, like the ectoplasm from his shoulder. With the blade still inside his flesh, he began to transform, not having the power or will to stay as a ghost. Red blood mixed with ectoplasm as Danny let out another cry of anguish. He couldn't believe how much more his agony intensified as a human.

Finally, Skulker none too delicately, yanked the blade out of the young boy, allowing Danny to fall to the ground. Victoriously, Skulker stood over his prey, and raised his weapon again.

Delirious with pain and with a vision blurred by tears, Danny looked up to see the shadow of something large eclipsing him. He knew what this meant, that he had finally lost. It didn't seem fair, his life was just started to get better. Just when he was starting to feel like he was alive again, he would die.

His line of vision continued until he saw two more shadows in the distance, these were smaller and had a distinctive human shape. With his last amount of energy Danny raised his head enough to see their owners, frozen stiff were shocked familiar faces. Out of everyone who could have come to watch the ghost fight, it was those two. But instead of worrying about whether they had seen him transform or not, the only thing that came to mind was how glad he was that he got to see them one last time.

In a rush, Danny's strength left him, his eyes closed, and his head fell unconscious onto the cold ground.

* * *

Again, I'm really sorry about the ending! And did Sam and Tucker see? Well, I did say the next chapter was going to be what everyone's been waiting for, so what do you think? Like I said, the next chapter is more than halfway done and I hopefully will have it out soon. It's a really fun chapter for me to write and I can't wait for you guys to see it!

Please review and let me know what you think!

And I hope you all had an amazing sixth Dannyversary yesterday! Yep, it's been six years yesterday since DP first aired. Kind of cool if you ask me.


	5. Dangerous Explanations

Hi again everyone! I'm really very sorry this chapter took so long! I know I said it wasn't going to be a long wait, but I kept adding more and more to this chapter. I couldn't help myself! I hope you guys like it though, it's the chapter everyone's been waiting for and I hope the content makes up at least somewhat for how long it took me. This chapter is basically the whole reason I wanted to write this fic!

And a huge thanks to my new beta truephan who looked over this chapter not once, but twice, and really went all out to improve this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own DP.

**Chapter 4 Dangerous Explanations**

Soft. When Danny awoke, although he never expected he would, the last thing he anticipated was 'soft'. However, what he was laying on was very soft, and he was _comfortable._ The last thing he remembered was a cold ground, so what happened?

His eyes lids were unexpectedly heavy and they refused to open at first. Finally, he forced them to cooperate, and he was greeted with bright light, which only caused his head to throb painfully. After waiting for his eyes to adjust, he realized the room actually wasn't very bright, but that his head was just extremely sensitive. Looking around, he found himself to be on a couch in a living room he didn't recognize. Taking note of the dimly lit house and the black widow, Danny realized it must be nighttime, though he had no way to know exactly how late it was. As he sat up, sharp pain shot from his shoulder to the rest of his chest, making his muscles tense and spasm painfully. Groaning, Danny took a few deep breaths until the pain became bearable once again. Danny slowly proceeded to prop himself on a pillow so he could look around better, clenching his teeth tightly when he had to move his sensitive arm and chest.

Danny was breathing heavily long after he got himself situated. He couldn't believe how much effort it took just to become a little more vertical; this meant he must have been hurt pretty bad. Looking himself over, he realized that he was missing his shirt, and that his shoulder had been tightly bandaged. It was then the whole fight with Skulker came rushing back to his mind at full force. He had lost and was completely beaten, there had been no hope left for him… so how was he still alive? And who bandaged him?

The memory was blurry, but he suddenly remembered the two figures that had appeared at the end of the fight. It was only then did Danny realize he had been in this living room before. Casting his eyes around, he found a sleeping Tucker in the armchair across from him. Danny must have been extremely disoriented when he first awoke to not have noticed him earlier. He realized he was in Tucker's house, and it made sense, since Tucker and Sam had seen a ghost attacking him. Although why they didn't take him to the hospital was beyond him, he was nevertheless immensely grateful they didn't. He didn't need doctors examining him and discovering that he healed at an alarming rate, and that was just one out of many physical anomalies they could find.

Danny wondered how Sam and Tucker managed to find him behind the school. What were they doing out there when they, just like everyone else, knew there was a dangerous ghost fight going on? And he also wondered at what point in the fight they appeared. Was it when he was on the ground as Danny Fenton, or had they seen more than that? Could it be possible that they knew—

No, he mentally shook himself. That wasn't possible. If Tucker, Sam, or anyone else knew what he was, then there would be no way they would take him home to bandage him. Not even Sam and Tucker, who had helped Phantom in the past, would risk themselves like that. Helping a ghost in the spur of the moment is one thing, but taking one home was completely different, especially if it turned out to be some half-ghost, half-human freak. He let out a sigh or relief, knowing his secret was safe.

A few seconds later, Sam startled him by walking into the room. She didn't even glance at the couch where he lay as she walked to an empty chair, but didn't sit down. She had her arms folded around herself in a loose hug, and she looked… helpless. Danny watched her in concern; he had never seen Sam look so uncertain about herself. She had always been strong and confident, but now she just looked small and frail. Seeing her like this disturbed him. Danny couldn't imagine what could have happened to cause that confused and utterly lost look in her eyes. Her gaze was unfocused, and even though she was watching a sleeping Tucker, Danny could tell her mind was elsewhere. Slowly, Sam allowed herself to sit in the empty chair, but her body was still tense against the comfortable fabric. She continued to watch Tucker before turning her gaze out the dark window. Danny got a strange feeling she was avoiding looking at him.

After a few minutes, she got bored at looking into the night, and turned her gaze to her hands in her lap. And then slowly, as if she couldn't help herself, she lifted her eyes to see what she expected to be a sleeping Danny. When their eyes met she jumped, letting out a strangled gasp.

"Danny?" she breathed, her eyes were wide and frozen onto his. Without looking away, Sam leaned over to shake Tucker awake.

"Hmm? What's going on?" Tucker asked sleepily. He looked at Sam for answers and then followed her gaze to the boy on the couch. "Danny! You're awake, dude! Are you okay? How's your shoulder?" Tucker asked all at one once, his voice full of relief.

Danny visibly relaxed at this more appropriate greeting. Sam, on the other hand, was still staring at him like she didn't know who he was, conflicting emotions on her face. Danny tried to grin, but because of the pain in his shoulder it turned into more of a grimace.

"I'm okay… not sure what happened though. I was outside the school when I heard the explosions. Next thing I know I was stuck in the middle of a ghost fight," Danny lied easily, having used this excuse a few times before. There had been a number of times when he had to explain why he had gotten hurt or was at the scene of a ghost fight. "Do you—" he paused, not sure how to ask. "Do you know what happened to that ghost? I remember thinking he was going to kill me and then…"

Danny trailed off when he noticed the weird looks he was getting from both Sam and Tucker. As they listened to his story, their expression grew confused, and then distrustful. Even Tucker's friendly expression was starting to resemble Sam's bewildered stare.

There was a long pause before Sam hesitantly answered him. "We saw you — " she broke off, glancing at Tucker uncertainly. She seemed to collect herself and then look back at Danny. "We saw you were in trouble, but we," her voice wavered slightly, "we didn't know what to do. And at first I thought…" She bit her lip.

Danny finally understood why she was so upset. "Sam, it's okay. I mean, I was hurt, but I'm still alive." He motioned to himself with his good arm and smiled encouragingly at her.

However, Danny's assurance seemed to have no effect. They were still staring at him like they were trying to figure something out, something big that they couldn't get their heads around.

Danny tried again, still hoping for some answers. "So what happened to the ghost?"

"They Guys-in-White showed up, late as usual." Sam's voice was stronger now, but her eyes were still distant. "They attacked the ghost just in time."

"They didn't even seem to notice you, dude. They probably thought you were dead. We… we thought that too, but you were breathing, so we took you to my house and Sam bandaged you up."

After the explanation, the room went quiet. Sam and Tucker watched Danny closely, awaiting his reaction. Danny felt like he was being studied, and he tried to think of some way to break the awkward silence.

"Thanks guys, I'd probably be dead right now if you hadn't found me." Instead of making them smile, his words only seemed to confuse them more. "I know I shouldn't have been out there in the first place, but —"

"Danny?" Tucker interrupted uncertainly, making Danny raise an eyebrow. "What umm…" he glanced at Sam for help before continuing. "What_ are_ you?"

Danny felt his heart stop in his chest at those words. His throat closed up and he was unable to speak or breathe properly. Finally, he managed to find his slightly shaken voice. "W-what?"

Tucker and Sam exchanged glances once again, and then Sam stood up to move her chair closer to Danny. Her eyes were worried and hesitant, but more than anything they were curious. "Danny, we saw you fighting that ghost. Well, we saw Danny Phantom fighting, and then… then he was you." Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I-I don't understand. How is that possible? How can you —?" she broke off, a lost for words. She just kept staring at him, like he was some kind of stranger to her, and now Danny knew why.

Danny's head was spinning and his mouth was dry. _They know!_ His mind kept shouting, but he didn't want to believe it. He was always so careful; he did everything he could to avoid this from happening. Nobody was ever supposed to find out; it was a secret to be carried to his grave. But now he couldn't hide what he was, not anymore. His best friends, although he supposed they weren't friends anymore, were now looking at him like he was a stranger. They didn't see Danny anymore, now they would see only Phantom behind his blue eyes.

Danny shut his eyes tightly, trying to accept the loss of his biggest secret, and the two best friends he ever had. He felt intense anger towards himself and towards Sam and Tucker. He was angry because he let this happen, that he wasn't strong enough to win the fight and preserve his secret. And he was angry at Sam and Tucker for ruining everything. If they had just done what they were supposed to and stayed inside, then no one would know and his secret would still be safe. He would still have them, and he wouldn't have to give them up. He was just starting to enjoy his new life, damn it, and now he would watch it fall apart. He didn't have to stare at the back of his eyelids for long before the anger towards Sam and Tucker faded away. He knew it wasn't really their fault, and he could never be angry with them. Losing Sam and Tucker was just something he had to accept, just like he accepted the duty of protecting people against ghosts. Besides, he had always known his friendship with them wasn't going to last forever. However, the anger at himself could not be dispelled so easily. When he opened his eyes again he felt empty, but also a bit calmer.

When he spoke there was a harsh edge to his voice. "If you knew I was a ghost, then why bandage me? Why not just leave me there, or better yet, tell the Guys-in-White what you saw?" he was shaking slightly in fear and helplessness.

Sam and Tucker looked startled by his question.

"You were hurt, dude; we couldn't just leave you there!"

"It would be safer then taking a ghost back to your house," Danny pointed out harshly.

"So… so you are a ghost, then?" Tucker asked hesitantly, and Danny could tell he was fearful of the answer.

The young hybrid looked away. "Not exactly…" He hoped they wouldn't ask any more questions, he didn't know what he should tell them. Hell, even _he _wasn't sure what he was. All he had to go on were what the ghosts said about him and his own theories.

"Then what, Danny?" Sam pleaded. "How do you look human, but can also look like a ghost?" When he didn't answer, she tried again, "Please tell us."

Danny's head snapped up. "Why should I?" he growled. "It wouldn't change anything. I'll still be this freak of nature, and the only difference will be you'll know why. You already see me as a monster, why should I make it worse?"

There was a long silence where only Danny's uneven breathing could be heard.

"You're not a monster, Danny," Sam assured him finally, her voice unusually quiet, yet sounding absolutely certain.

Danny snorted, finding her dismissal amusing. "You guys wouldn't understand."

"Maybe we would if you tell us," Tucker supplied hopefully.

Danny looked distrustfully at them. "You really want to know?"

"Yes, Danny, we do." Sam unconsciously scooted forward, and Danny was surprised she would willingly be so close to him.

The hybrid sighed. "I've never told anyone before..." he mused to himself, and he couldn't help the fear rising in his chest. He tried to push it back as he took a deep breath. He didn't know why he was telling them, he didn't think it was a good idea; but Sam said they wanted to hear it, and for some unexplainable reason he wanted them to know, too. "It happened about a year ago, I was a normal freshman starting high school. My parents had just finished building the Ghost Portal, but when they turned it on it didn't work. They gave up on it after that. I had never seen my parents so depressed after an invention failed. That day I decided to go inside the portal, I was curious I guess… I wanted to know why they wanted it to work so badly. While I was inside, I accidentally pushed something, I didn't realize the 'on' button was in the inside the machine." Danny grimaced at the memory.

Sam's eyes widened. "You turned the Portal on while you were still inside?"

Tucker seemed to remember the swirling vortex as well. "But all that electricity would have hit you!"

Danny nodded. "It did, believe me, I felt it. But it wasn't just electricity; it was energy from the Ghost Zone, too. I'm no scientist, so I don't know exactly what happened, but when I came out of the portal, I wasn't just human anymore. I could transform into a ghostly version of myself whenever I wanted. I have all the powers of a ghost, but I still have to eat and breathe when I'm in my human form. The best explanation I could come up with was that I was a half-ghost, and it made sense, part-human, and part-ghost. After that, I decided to use my powers to keep people safe from the other ghosts that have been coming out of the portal ever since."

Sam and Tucker were staring at him with wide unblinking eyes and Danny shifted under their gaze, finding it easier to looked at his hand then at them. He knew telling them the truth would make things worse, he just knew it. He should have lied or come up with something better then 'I was stupid enough to play with my parents inventions and it turned me into some sort of half-dead hybrid'. After an explanation like that, of course they would look at him like he was some sort of abnormal creature — that's what he was after all. But what else could he say? There was no way he could come up with a decent lie, and besides, he was just so sick of keeping secrets. Telling the truth went against everything he taught himself this last year, but he just didn't have the strength to fight anymore.

Finally, Sam found her voice, "You've been keeping this a secret? All this time and you haven't told anyone?"

Danny looked at her like she had just grown a second head. "What? Go up to my parents and say, 'Hey Mom, hey Dad, you know Danny Phantom, that ghost you hate and want to tear apart molecule by molecule? Yep, that's me!'" Danny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that will go over well," he stated sarcastically.

"But — but your half-dead!" Tucker yelled, almost panicking. "How could you not tell someone about that? I mean, they could have helped you!"

Danny's eyes narrowed. "Help me? More like experiment on me. You know how ghost hunters feel about ghosts. Can you honestly see the Guys-in-White giving a damn about whether I'm still part-human?" Danny purposely used the GIW as an example that time instead of his parents. He really did not want to think about his parents experimenting on him even after knowing he was their son.

"But it must have been really hard on you," Sam considered slowly, "to have these powers and not be able to trust anyone."

Danny felt a lump grown in his throat. She had no idea how hard it was; how lonely it could be. "You get used to it," Danny answered at last, looking away.

"And you use your powers to help people, you're like…" Tucker searched for the right word, "Like a super hero." He was grinning at the idea.

Danny stared bewildered at the two people in front of him. Their eyes had completely lost their fear, and they didn't seem to be disturbed by his story anymore. But this wasn't right, it made no sense. They just found out he was half-dead; they shouldn't be so calm about it! And then Danny realized what the problem was; he was in his human form now. They could accept this form, but if he was a ghost, they wouldn't be willing to be so close to him, or smile at him like they actually cared. He didn't want to, but he had to make them see the truth.

Danny shook his head. "You guys don't understand."

"What don't we understand?" Sam challenged. "You were in an accident and gained ghost powers, and now you use them to save people."

"And you have a secret identity…" Suddenly Tucker started to crack up. "Phantom and Fenton! They sound so much alike, that's hilarious, dude!"

"No, you guys don't _get_ it," Danny glowered.

He tried to keep his temper under control so his eyes wouldn't turn green, but maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea. It would help them understand that he wasn't normal. This wasn't some comic book. He wasn't some hero who always wins and does the right thing. He was a ghost, not that much different from the ones that attacked the town daily. He may fight and stop them from killing people, but that didn't mean he couldn't turn around and do the same. He was just as dangerous as the other ghosts, and Sam and Tucker were missing this.

"What don't we get, Danny? Help us understand." Sam placed her hand on top of his, trying to comfort him. But that's just it; she wasn't supposed to comfort him. If she really understood what he was, then she wouldn't want to be so close. He moved his hand out from under hers.

"You want to understand? It's not that hard," Danny growled. "I'm still alive, but I'm dead, too. I don't belong anywhere, most ghosts hate me, and the people in Amity wish Phantom never existed. I have these powers which I can't always control, and I have to hide them half the time. And if I revealed myself, people, even though I save them daily, would want me dead, and you know what? I can't blame them! I'm a freak, a dangerous monster! I have the ability to kill everyone if I wanted to!" _And in an alternate timeline, I do._

Danny's breathing was uneven as he glared at them, daring them to argue. They were staring at him in shock, but they still didn't look afraid. If anything, their eyes were full of sympathy, the opposite of what he wanted.

"Danny," Sam breathed. His words seemed to have hurt her somehow. "Don't — don't say that. You're not a freak, your powers make you unique. Unique is good."

"Unique?" Danny scoffed. "Sam, someone with an extra toe is unique, I'm half_ dead_."

"But your alive, too," Tucker reasoned.

"And that just makes me even freakier!" His hands were shaking in frustration. He was going to make them understand, they had to. "People shouldn't be able to do this…" He took a deep breath, and viciously yanked the cold feeling from inside his chest. Rings of light engulfed him, and the bandaged form of Danny Fenton was replaced by the white-haired teen ghost. His bandages weren't gone, but now they were completely covered by his black and white jumpsuit.

Sam and Tucker couldn't help themselves; they gasped and leaned back in their chairs, unconsciously putting distance between themselves and the ghost.

Danny watched them through triumphant green eyes. Finally, they understood. They tried so hard to forget what he was, to be good friends and accept him. However, they weren't accepting him, but what they thought he was, and what they wanted him to be. They had some kind of notion that he was a superhero, someone gifted with extraordinary abilities. But in reality he was a ghost like all the others, and his human side only made him more powerful and dangerous. They had known what he was, but because they were talking to his human side it made it easier for them to forget, to think they could understand and accept him. And now he had shown them how wrong they were.

"Danny?" Tucker asked in barely a whisper. "That's really you, isn't it?"

Even though he already knew Danny was Phantom, there was some uncertainty in his eyes, like now that he was talking to Phantom, he wasn't sure Fenton was still in there. Danny saw fear flicker in Tucker's expression, the same fear he had for Phantom a little over a month ago. Knowing he was Danny Fenton didn't seem to change the fear he held for Phantom, as Danny knew it wouldn't.

"Yes, it's me," Danny's voice echoed in the quiet house.

Fear was evident in Sam's eyes as well, but there was something else behind those violet orbs, something stronger. Whatever it was, it compelled her to actually move closer to the infamous ghost.

She was staring at him intensely, and Danny knew she was trying to find something of his human form in his features. "You look so different from your other self," she breathed in awe, "…except your eyes."

Confusion flashed across Danny's face. Sam had said the last thing he would have expected. If anything, his eye color was the biggest difference between his two forms, but for some reason she thought differently. Did she not see they were now green and _glowing_?

Sam and Tucker sat there staring at him. They didn't get up and run, they didn't back away, hell, they didn't even glance at the door. Danny didn't understand their reaction, or lack of one. It didn't make any sense.

Suddenly, Danny realized what that look in her eyes meant; she was curious. Confusion turned into anger as frustration began rising in his gut. He understood now, curiosity was the reason they weren't running out the door or dialing up the Guys-in-White. Sam and Tucker were able to overcome their fear because they had never seen another creature like him. They weren't sure if they should be afraid or not.

Even though they didn't immediately freak out when he transformed, Danny still held no hope that they could accept what he was. They just didn't know how to act around him, if they should be afraid or if he was dangerous to them. However, as soon as Danny showed them what he could do, how he was just as dangerous as any other ghost, things would go back to the way they should be. They would be afraid of him, just like they should be.

He felt a little regret for what he was about to do. After all, no one who wasn't a ghost hunter had dared to get this close to his ghost form before, and he never thought anyone would. And now the only people who dared to, who had sat before him as if it was a perfectly normal thing to do, were about to be scared off by him. But he had to do this for their sakes. He didn't want them to have a false impression that just because he was human as well as ghost, he wasn't dangerous. In fact, they needed to understand that this made him more so. He had to get them to understand exactly what he was.

"It's not safe for you guys to get so close to a ghost." Danny mumbled, not really having the heart to sound threatening, but still knowing what he had to do.

"Wha-what do you mean?" Tucker seemed to understand the poorly delivered threat, but he was unwilling to believe it.

"Because all ghosts are dangerous, and they_ will_ hurt you." Danny's voice had an edge to it this time. "What did you expect from me? Did you think I was any different from the other ghosts?" Still on the couch, he moved his uninjured right arm and held his palm upwards; as he concentrated, a ball of ecto-energy formed in his hand. His entire hand filled with green swirling energy that gave off an almost hypnotic light. It took a lot of concentration for Danny to keep the energy dense and moving in a circular pattern. Without his control, the energy was erratic and naturally wanted to be expelled into the air, but that would have been dangerous for the two humans next to him. He only wanted them to see him for what he truly was, not to hurt them.

Danny brought his attention from the orb to the faces of Sam and Tucker. The light from the ecto-energy cast a green tint around the room and onto the faces of the two humans. They were both eyeing the energy warily; perfectly aware of how dangerous it was to them. Sadness stabbed though his chest even though he had gotten what he wanted. From the terrified expression on the humans' faces, Danny knew he had finally, _finally_, got them to understand how dangerous he was. He wasn't the friend they thought they knew, and he wasn't the superhero they were hoping for. He couldn't let them delude themselves into thinking he was anything more than a monster.

It wasn't like he wanted them to think he would hurt them, but this was the only way to keep Sam and Tucker safe. If they were scared of him like they should be, then it would stop them from involving themselves in his dangerous life. He cared about them too much for that.

They remained staring in shock at the deadly energy, none of them daring to move. They seemed to be holding their breath, ready to run if they had to. A ghost had just threatened them, and although they believed he was their friend before, none of that seem to matter now.

Sam was the first to do anything. Ever so slowly, she reached her hand up and leaned forward.

"Sam?" Tucker squeaked, terrified for his friend. "What are you doing?"

Danny's eyes widened, stunned at the fact she was leaning towards him instead of away. There was a determination in her eyes that Danny had only seen once before: when she decided to rescue Phantom.

Sam reached her hand towards the orb of energy. She moved slowly and carefully, uncertain if what she was doing was safe. She was barely breathing as she continued; her eyes transfixed on the light. When she was but a few inches from the energy she suddenly jumped, pulling her hand away slightly as if she had been burned, but then she continued once again, managing to get even closer. She must have been feeling the cold-heat of the ecto-ball by now, and if she wasn't careful, she could easily burn herself on the bitter energy.

"S-Sam, stop it. Are you trying to hurt yourself?" Tucker pleaded with her.

Danny was asking the same question, hoping she would be sensible and stop. It took a lot of his concentration to keep his energy in check; one slip up and the energy would escape and burn her.

"I just want to see…" was her distracted response. The curiosity was back in her eyes again.

She was a few centimeters away from the very edge of the energy now. Her fingers ran along it experimentally and Danny cringed. Putting all his strength into keeping the energy's perfect shape was taking a lot out of him, but he refused to hurt Sam. He couldn't make the energy smaller, because there was always a slight discharge when compressing energy and even that small amount would hurt her. He was also in too awkward a position on the couch to move the energy away from her without risking making a mistake, or losing his concentration. The best thing would be if she moved her hand away, but she didn't seem intent on doing that anytime soon.

Danny couldn't help but sneak a glance at her; he was dying to know what she was thinking. Why would she put herself at risk like this? He had just threatened her, and she had been _afraid_. He saw the look of betrayal on her face with his own eyes. But instead of running, she reached out towards something she had known to be dangerous. That took a lot of trust on her part, trust in someone that had been lying to her since the day they met. Danny didn't understand. No more than he understood the look of wonder on her face, or the small bit of triumph in her smile.

Finally, Danny couldn't take it anymore. He was already wounded and tired from the fight. He didn't trust himself to keep her safe anymore.

"Sam," he pleaded, "move your hand, I can't… I can't control it anymore." His breath was labored and he felt completely drained.

She looked confused and then pulled her hand away. With a sigh of relief Danny allowed the energy to decompress and then fizzle harmlessly into the air.

After a second, Sam's confused expression dissolved into a look of realization and guilt. "Sorry, I didn't know that was so hard for you to control." She really looked apologetic for torturing him like that; she honestly hadn't realized what she had just put him through.

However, Danny wasn't thinking about himself right now. "What were you thinking? I could have really hurt you!" he snapped, angry and relieved at the same time.

The triumphant smirk was back on Sam's lips once again. "But you didn't, Danny, and that's the point. I knew you wouldn't hurt me."

"A-Are your sure I didn't burn you? Even a little bit?" He reached from his position on the couch for her hands to check for himself, when suddenly he stopped mid-reach. What was he doing? People hated it when ghosts touched them, and even though he was hell-bent on scaring her off a few seconds ago, he was surprised that it was the last thing he wanted to do now.

Sam just smiled and opened her hand, holding it close to his, welcoming him to see for himself. "Nope, I'm fine, see? You should have more faith in yourself."

Danny was relieved to see that she truly was unharmed. Now he was able to concentrate on other matters.

"Why did you do that?" he asked, his anger coming back.

"Well, you were trying to scare us. I just wanted to show you it wasn't going to work," Sam said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Danny jumped when he heard Tucker suddenly laugh. "You called his bluff?" Tucker asked, grinning.

Sam smirked. "Yep. He was trying so hard to scare us. I had to do something."

Tucker looked sheepish, and adjusted his glasses guiltily. "Yeah…I even believe him for a minute there. I actually thought…" but he drifted off, like he was too ashamed to admit it.

Sam nodded; her expression as grim as Tucker's. "Me, too, actually, but then… then I remembered who it was, and I knew Danny would never hurt us."

They smiled up at Danny, and he stared back, stunned. He didn't know what to think, or what to do; he felt like laughing, crying, and tearing out his hair in frustration all at the same time. Why didn't they get it? Why couldn't they understand? Just because he didn't want to hurt them didn't mean he still wasn't dangerous. Anyone else would have known that, anyone else would have been scared to death if not by what he was, then at least by what he could do. But not them.

"How can you say that?" he croaked out at last. "I may have been your friend for a while, but I still lied to you about… well, almost everything. I'm obviously not who you thought I was, so how could you still trust me? How could you be so sure I wouldn't hurt you?" It sounded as if he was begging for an answer.

"You did lie to us," Tucker agreed, "but we always knew you were keeping something from us, even though we didn't think the secret was this big." Tucker grinned like he was impressed. "We were your friends even though we knew you weren't being completely honest, because we didn't care. We didn't need to know everything about you, dude. What we already knew about you was enough. So when we found out you were Danny Phantom… I don't know." He looked for Sam for help. "It just… didn't seem to matter. It doesn't change the fact that you were still Danny, our friend. We were still _really_ freaked out though," Tucker admitted with a laugh. "I think I went into shock when I saw you transform."

"Although, it could have also been the fact that our best friend had a blade coming out of his shoulder," Sam reminded Tucker, shuttering at the memory.

Tucker considered that a moment before adding, "that too, but I think the half-ghost thing was a little more shocking Sam."

Sam rolled her eyes. "How is your shoulder, by the way?" she asked, reaching from her chair to adjust a bandage only to have him lean away. He was still uncomfortable with the idea of a human being close to him in his ghost form.

She retracted her hand, a concerned expression on her face.

"It's fine, it will heal in a couple of days," he assured them quietly, not meeting their eyes.

"A couple of days?" Tucker asked unsure, "You gotta be kidding, that blade went all the way through your shoulder, man. You're lucky it wasn't worse."

"You're sure I didn't break anything?" Danny asked, moving his shoulder slightly only to have pain course down his arm and chest. Danny clenched his teeth so he wouldn't cry out.

Tucker shrugged. "That's what Sam said. She's better at that stuff than I am."

Danny nodded. "That's good then; I'll be able to move it by tomorrow."

He felt weird to suddenly be talking so freely with them, but he was still trying to sort out other things in his mind, so he wasn't fully aware of the information he was giving out.

Tucker finally seemed to catch on. "You're serious? You heal that fast?"

Danny nodded self-consciously, already wishing he had kept silent about his healing abilities.

Tucker whistled appreciatively. "Whoa, that's cool. But I guess it comes in handy if you're in fights like that all the time…"

"Oh, that reminds me!" Sam exclaimed suddenly before getting up and rushing into the other room. She came back with a water bottle and a bottle of pain pills. "Sorry Danny, we were going to give this to you when you first woke up. I guess in all the excitement we forgot." She sat down next to him and opened the bottle. Unexpectedly, she froze and looked perplexed. "Do you umm, need more than normal people? Since your body is so different?"

Danny wondered why she didn't just call him a freak and get it over with. "Umm, yeah, I usually have to take twice as much then you normally would or they don't work."

Sam handed him the pills and he took them numbly. Sam gave him a water bottle next after she opened it for him. Danny downed the pills quickly and drank most of the water. He hadn't realized how thirsty he'd been. It felt weird to drink in his ghost form, but once he changed back he would feel the proper effect.

The room had gone uncomfortably quiet, and Danny wondered how this sudden change occurred. The atmosphere went from being tense and full chaos and confusion to being strained and awkward. He couldn't tell which was worse.

"I guess it's a good thing we didn't take you to the hospital, huh?" Tucker spoke up at last, effectively breaking the silence.

Sam must have seen Danny's confused expression so she clarified. "We were going to take you to the hospital since you were badly hurt and we didn't know what else to do, but then we thought about how you were different, and we weren't sure if the doctors would be able to tell."

"We knew you would probably want to keep everything a secret, and with all the tests the doctors could run…" Tucker shivered violently. "I hate hospitals, but I thought it might be twice as worse for you."

Danny was in awe. They had actually thought about preserving his secret just minutes after they found out for themselves? He was so certain that the first thing anyone would do when they found out would be to call up the Guys-in-White or his parents.

Danny felt a wave of appreciation rush over him. "You-you -" Danny stuttered, not knowing what to say. "I mean, th-thank you. You're right, if I had gone to the hospital, they would have found out something was wrong with me just by taking my temperature. And then they would have done more tests…" Danny flinched. He didn't like the idea of tests whether they were doctors or ghost hunters doing them. "Just…thanks, for helping me, you didn't have to."

"Of course we had to, Danny, you're our best friend" Sam offered with a soft smile, placing her hand on his icy one. "We weren't about to let anything happen to you if we could help it."

Danny's eyes traveled from her concerned violet eyes to her hand resting on top of his. Her skin felt warmer than usual to his icy body, and he wondered how she could touch him so easily, as if it was a completely natural thing for her to do.

"Sam," Danny protested, shaking his head. "Tucker, you guys are the greatest, seriously the best friends I've ever had." The back of Danny's eyes began to sting partly because of the truth of his words, but also because of what he was about to say next. "I never thought anyone would go this far to help me once they found out… and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I tried to scare you guys away like that. You didn't deserve it." He suddenly sounded desperate, wanting more than anything for them to understand. "I would never try to hurt you guys. Ever."

"We know, Danny," Sam replied, squeezing his hand gently, her lilac eyes smiling at him, completely devoid of any doubt.

"Don't worry about it, dude, that's what friends are for," Tucker reassured him, his voice confident, but at the same time lighthearted.

Danny smiled, but there was no joy behind it.

"But you guys… you can't keep pretending I'm your friend. I mean, it's nice to hear you say that and you have no idea what it means to me… but that's just it. It means everything to me and it's not even real." Danny's voice was strained as he tried to hold back emotions so intense he could feel his whole body shaking under their pressure. "You can't just say we are still best friends after everything you found out about me. I'm not the same person you knew, because that person was a lie. Danny Fenton is not real. I pretend to be him so no one would suspect anything, but in reality, you know nothing about me. You don't know what I've been through or what I can do. You don't know how dangerous I am, or what I might do in the future." Danny cringed, clenching his fist at the thought. "You said that my powers don't change me, that I'm the same guy you knew, but you're wrong. They change everything! Was the Danny you knew a freak that had the power to phase through walls or level buildings?"

"Yes, that was our Danny, even though we didn't know it yet!" Sam's voice wavered with frustration, but not with doubt. "And are you trying to convince us that this entire time you've been lying to us, that we never got to know the real you at all? Because you've tried to convince us of some stupid things in that past, like just a few minutes ago when you threatened our _lives_, but saying that after all this time we don't know who you are? That's absurd, Danny!" Sam glared at him with so much concentrated anger that he didn't dare interrupt her. "So if everything we know about you is a lie then I guess you really don't want to be an astronaut? And I suppose Tucker and I should have run away because if you _were _a monster instead of our Danny then you would have killed us… which you didn't. And, if I don't know you, then I wouldn't be able to guess your favorite power, which wouldn't be the ability to level a building. No, if you were the Danny I knew, then it would be the ability to fly. But since you're not Danny, then I guess I must be wrong, right?" Sam challenged, her eyes livid.

Danny stared open-mouthed at her. She had been correct about _everything_. He had told them he wanted to be an astronaut, and that was definitely not a lie, although it did seem impossible. And of course he wouldn't have hurt them even though he did threaten them. But how she had known what his favorite power was… he had no idea. He never mentioned wanting to fly to her before, but somehow she had just known.

"Okay…" his voice was hoarse, "maybe you do know me more then I wanted you too, but —"

"No Danny! No more excuses. Why are you doing this? First you tell us we don't understand, and so we listen so we can understand, but then you try to scare us away! And then once you started to act civil again, you tell us how we aren't really friends, and that we never were? What are you trying to do, Danny? Do you want us to leave? You want to be alone?"

"Yes! Yes Sam, that's exactly what I want!" Danny yelled, a few glowing tears running down his cheeks.

Sam inhaled sharply as if he had shot her in the chest with an ecto-blast.

"I never wanted you and Tucker, or anyone to find out. I was happy to die with this secret." Danny's entire body was weak and completely numb, but his mind was busy with a million different thoughts at once. "But now, all I want is for you to just leave me alone. Stop trying to help me, or understand me. I never wanted that. But if you won't do anything else, then just stop_ trying_ to accept me, just stop, please..." Danny hung his head, as if in silent prayer.

What Sam and Tucker were putting him through was hurting him more than they could imagine. It was causing him more pain than if they had just called him a monster to his face and ran away. Because they were just prolonging the inevitable, teasing him with hope that he so desperately clung to in his weakest moments. The same hope that he never admitted he had for fear of what would happen to him if it was torn away. Sam and Tucker were feeding a crutch, making it bigger, allowing him to lean on it in support, but Danny knew how dangerous that was. Because once the inevitable happened and Sam and Tucker found they couldn't accept what he was, then the only thing keeping him up would disappear and he would fall.

"Danny." Sam's tone was sharp, not what Danny expected. "I'm not trying to accept you."

Danny's eye's snapped upwards to meet hers. Confusion was the only recognizable emotion on his face.

"Whether you like it or not, you're our best friend. That means we care about you _no matter what_. When we found out you were a ghost, nothing changed. We already accepted it instantly."

"We were afraid," Tucker added. "We weren't completely sure what was going on, we thought a ghost possessed you or something… but we knew you were still in there somewhere. Sam's right, it didn't stop us from helping you, because it didn't change anything."

Tears continued to fall down the half-ghost's face. He didn't understand, none of this made sense. His thoughts were foggy and he didn't know what to think or what to do. He wanted to believe them; more than anything he wanted to believe what they were saying was true, but he couldn't. Through all the pain and confusion he was feeling, one emotion dominated them all. Even after everything he had done, from stepping into the Portal for the first time to losing to Skulker this afternoon, never in his life had Danny been more terrified then right now.

As much as he cared about Sam and Tucker, and after all the times they told him they accepted his powers, Danny just couldn't believe them. He just didn't trust them, he just couldn't.

But what could he do? He thought that his life would be over once someone found out his secret, that if one person knew, then they would soon tell others, but that wasn't the case. Sam and Tucker weren't going to tell anyone, well, not yet anyway. So what happens now? He couldn't get them to see him like they should by scaring them away, and they wouldn't be convinced that he was any different from the Danny Fenton they knew. Everything he had tried, they had seen right through. Maybe they really did know him much better than he thought…

And although he didn't trust them, and probably never would, he still couldn't help but like the idea of being accepted. He knew it wasn't possible, he knew this was just his wishful thinking, but the thought was so tempting, he couldn't help but revel in it. He knew thinking this way would make everything so much painful later, and maybe he would never recover from that pain. But the way they were looking at his ghost half… it was like they were truly seeing him, not as a hybrid creature, but as the normal human he used to be. He didn't trust Sam and Tucker, but with every passing second, he was finding it harder and harder to let them go, and this was why he was so frightened. Danny was losing the battle with himself, and even though he knew this could only end in pain, he couldn't help but to at least pretend to believe them.

As Danny's next words left his mouth the hybrid knew he had lost the fight.

"You guys accept what I am? Even though I could hurt you? Even though I'm a half-dead freak?" His voice broke on the last syllable, his head still swimming with unanswered questions.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, Danny, that's exactly what we're saying. Just please stop calling yourself a freak, or a monster. That's not who you are. You're still human, or at least part-human."

Danny's body went tense as his eyes became cold. Without saying a word, he reached out and grabbed her wrist with an icy hand. She looked surprised, but she didn't say anything, allowing him to control her hand. Carefully, he placed her hand on his chest, right over his heart. He stared at her intently, waiting for a reaction.

Tucker stared at the two of them in confusion, unsure of what was going on.

Sam eyebrows were knitted together in bewilderment, but slowly her face began to dawn with realization, and then horror. She stared up into his eyes as her breath caught in her throat.

Knowing she understood what he wanted her to, Danny let her hand go, but she didn't seem to notice. She kept her hand to his chest, as if she was still waiting for something. A second later, she came out of the trance and ripped her hand away, holding it to her own chest.

"You… no." She shook her head. "But you're not — " her voice was suddenly more high-pitched and Danny could hear it wavering in distress. "_Please_ say you're not — "

"Sam, what's wrong?" Tucker asked, placing a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

"No, I'm not dead," Danny answered for her, knowing what she was trying to ask.

"But you don't have a heart beat," Sam whispered, and Danny could tell that once again she wasn't afraid of him, but for him.

Tucker's eyes widened in surprise, and his face took on a confused expression as he looked from Danny to Sam.

"I do when I'm in my human form," he told her calmly, surprised at seeing how upset not having a heartbeat made her, but how easily she had accepted him having the powers of a ghost.

"Show me," she demanded firmly, sounding almost angry with him.

He did what she ordered, transforming back to Danny Fenton. He ignored the increased pain in his shoulder, which gave an unpleasant throb with every heartbeat.

Sam didn't waste any time, and she was suddenly very close to him, her warm hand feeling the pulse in his neck. After a few seconds, she was satisfied and reclined into her chair in relief.

"What was that about?" Tucker asked, still unsure about what had transpired.

"Sorry, I just wanted to be sure…" he broke off, seeming confused about her own actions.

"You wanted to be sure that the Portal hadn't killed me, that to have these powers I didn't have to be dead," Danny clarified easily.

He understood what she was thinking. He felt the same way, being a hybrid was one thing, but being fully dead… that was another. That was a thin line that he wasn't eager to cross.

Sam was suddenly fierce again; her eyes alight with certainty. "It wouldn't have changed anything, Danny, even if you were dead."

Her words were so strong that Danny knew she believed them entirely.

"I was just worried because… because you don't deserve that, Danny. Not because of curiosity or a simple mistake."

"Yeah, because having these powers are so much better," Danny noted sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "What's the difference between having my heart beating only half the time and not at all?"

"That sounds like a big difference to me." Tucker responded, and Sam nodded.

"You can have what other ghosts can't: a life. You're not a full ghost, you're still—" but Sam purposely cut herself off, unable to say the next part with such unwavering certainty.

"Human? That's what you were going to say, isn't it? Sam, I can make my heart stop beating for days and then start it again. Does that sound even remotely human to you? That's why I had to show you. You said I'm human but —" he hesitated. "I'm not so sure about that."

Danny didn't know what he was hoping for, maybe he was waiting for some confirmation, for Sam to say in that confident voice of hers that he was human, and he shouldn't doubt that. But her assurance wasn't what he got.

The Goth looked at her hands uncertainly. "I'm not sure, either," she admitted softly. After a few quite seconds she raised her head and looked him directly in his eyes. "But you still have your humanity, Danny, and that's what matters."

Danny blinked, his throat tightening up. She seemed to know exactly what he had been worrying about. "H-How do you know I still have it?"

She smiled gently at him. "I just do. You're a good person, Danny, anyone can see that."

Danny couldn't help but smile shyly, the first real smile since he woke up. Someone told him he was a good person, and they weren't just saying that, they truly meant it. And more importantly, they knew his secret and they still believed it. Tucker and Sam couldn't even begin to imagine what that meant to him.

"Thanks guys… I can't believe you know my secret and you don't hate me. I don't understand how that's possible, but I'm glad."

"Finally we got through to him!" Tucker rejoiced, patting Danny's shoulder only to have him cry out and pull away.

Tucker looked surprised, and then sheepish when he realized what he did. "Oops, sorry…"

Once the pain was under control Danny couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "It's okay, I'll live."

Tucker and Sam both grinned at him and he smiled back. He felt his muscles relax as he leaned further into the comfort of the couch. He was just starting to become comfortable when a thought tickled at the back of his mind. Suddenly, he bolted upright in alarm, but in doing so he jarred his left shoulder, sending an excruciating amount of pain down his chest and back. Crying out in pain, he reflexively grabbed his arm, but at the same time lost his balance. He would have toppled off the couch if Tucker hadn't been there, grabbing his right shoulder in support and holding him steady until the pain subsided.

Finally the acute stabs of pain rushing up his nerve-endings turned into a dull throb. His breathing began to return to normal and he was able to think clearly once again. Taking a deep breath, Danny swung one leg over the couch and then the other, he was about to try to get on his feet when he was interrupted.

"What do you think you are doing?" Sam asked him in a stern voice.

He looked up to see her arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

"My parents…" Danny breathed, realizing how much strain he must be putting on his body if he was already short of breath. "I never came home after school, they're probably wondering where I am, I have to—"

"No," was Sam's stern reply as she placed a hand gently on his chest to keep him from standing.

"But it's already late, and knowing my parents, they probably think a ghost kidnapped me or something and will come looking—"

"So, what are you going to do? Walk into your house with a hole through your shoulder? You don't think they're going to notice?"

Danny had to admit she had a point, but what else could he do?

"Not to mention you won't even make it home. You've lost a lot of blood, Danny, and ghost powers or not, you need to take it easy for a bit."

Gently she began pushing him back on the couch, forcing him to lie down. At first he resisted her, but with Tucker's help, they got him lying fully on the couch, propped up against a pillow.

"Guys, really, I'm fine! It's not that bad, I've had worse before!" As soon as those words came out of his mouth and he saw the expression on Sam's face, he knew he had said the wrong thing.

"Worse before? You've been hurt worse than this?" Sam asked her eyes wide and fearful.

"Umm…" Danny began, not sure what he could say that wouldn't worry her more. "Not- not often. Only once or twice before…"

However, judging by her expression he was just making things worse.

"I-I heal fast, Sam." Danny assured her, laughing a little to ease the tension. "It's really not that big of a deal."

She shook her head wordlessly, and sighed to herself in frustration. She didn't seem happy, but she understood arguing about past injuries wouldn't help them now.

"Anyway," Tucker said, trying to move on. "You don't have to worry about your parents, Danny. We already called them around dinner and told them you were going to study and watch movies at my house tonight."

Danny blinked in surprise. They covered for him? Even before knowing the whole story, they anticipated his needs and helped him? "Really?" Danny questioned, stunned by this piece of news. "Th-thanks." Danny smiled softly, finding that he liked the idea of someone helping him. He was so used to having to do everything himself.

"No problem, dude, and like I said at lunch, my parents are out tonight so we have the whole house to ourselves. I still think a party would have been a good idea, but it's a little late now…"

Danny chuckled. "Sorry to ruin your fun, Tuck."

The techno geek waved his had dismissively. "It isn't your fault you were injured in an epic ghost fight today. We all have our bad days."

"Actually…" Danny corrected. He couldn't believe he was going to say this after everything that happen, after his worst nightmare had come true, but he felt like it was necessary to say out loud. "Even with everything that has happened, I have to admit this day hasn't been so bad…" And he was surprised to find this was true.

"So, you're glad we know your secret?" Tucker prompted eagerly.

Danny was hesitant, but tried to answer as truthfully at he could. "I still wish no one knew… but I'm glad that out of everyone who could have found out, it was you guys."

"And I'm just glad we know why you're so secretive and running off all the time." A thought seemed to strike Tucker. "Hey, cool! My best friend is a super hero! Not many people get to say that. Or say that their friend is half-ghost! How cool is that?"

Danny sighed lightly at Tucker's enthusiasm. They really didn't get it. Both Tucker and Sam actually believed that everything was going to work out. They didn't see being a half-ghost much different from being human, but that was because they didn't understand the danger they were in. If they hung around him, they could easily get stuck in the middle of a battle, or even be the target of his enemies. They said they weren't afraid of him, but that was probably the worst mistake they could make. Hybrid or not, he still had the powers of a ghost, and an alternate timeline proved that those powers could be used to hurt people.

He was afraid for Sam and Tucker, and the position they were putting themselves in. He was weary of the trap he was precariously perched next to, the one that held the false belief that his friends might actually be able to accept him. Danny was terrified of falling into that trap, trusting Sam and Tucker to always be there for him, only for them to look at him hatefully with disgust in their eyes. That would tear him apart.

He vowed to never fall into that trap.

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I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please review and let me know what you thought!


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